Ghosts Of The Great Highway  by Sun Kil Moon

Ghosts Of The Great Highway, released in 2003, is the iconic debut of Sun Kil Moon and the first major step for Mark Kozelek after the Red House Painters. The album is an atmospheric journey through themes of loss, memory, and death, combining indie folk with Americana and elements of "slowcore".

The album was lauded by critics for Kozelek's "haunting" voice and the rich arrangements with acoustic guitars, mandolin, and strings, while the faded photograph of a little girl with angel wings on the cover enhances the sense of the past and loss that permeates the entire record. The band's name is a play on the name of Korean boxer Sung-Kil Moon. Three central songs bear the names of athletes who died young: Salvador Sanchez, Pancho Villa, and Duk Koo Kim (whose epic, 14-minute track corresponds to the 14 rounds of his fatal match). The opening song Glenn Tipton refers to the guitarist of Judas Priest, while Gentle Moon is inspired by Kozelek's experience during September 11.

Ghosts Of The Great Highway was not a commercial "blockbuster" in the traditional sense of mainstream charts, but its success was immense in terms of critical acclaim and the independent (indie) scene. Although it didn't make it onto the main Billboard 200, it established Sun Kil Moon as a formidable force in the indie charts, paving the way for later successes such as Benji.