Their first releases were very limited vinyl singles on various different small, indie, and some now defunct, record labels, although 555 records who released '(The) Weight' in 1998 is still alive.
In 1994, record labels Fluff and Slumberland released Hood's first full length album, entitled 'Cabled Linear Traction'. It was a landmark for the band, some still say it's their best album. It had similarities to bands like The Cure, Sonic Youth and Pavement.
The album was issued on CD in 1999 by Slumberland, who also released 1996's 'Silent 88' album. The latter was similar sounding to 'CLT', but with much more experimentation going on and far more use of electronics.
A collection of limited and rare singles was put together by Happy Go Lucky records in 1997 and released on CD and vinyl, the vinyl version coming with a free 7" record.
In 1997, Domino Record Co snapped up Hood and released the single 'Useless'. A lo-fi indie electronica affair, not too dissimilar to the aforementioned '(The) Weight' released the next year.
Around this time Chris was releasing instrumental electronic material as Downpour, often involving heavily distorted drum and bass.
After another handful of singles and eps for Domino, they released the album 'Rustic Houses, Forlorn Valleys' in 1998. A dense, dark and tension building album, sounding somewhere in between Labradford, Mogwai and Massive Attack and produced by the band and Matt Elliott from Third Eye Foundation.
A year later came 'The Cycle of Days and Seasons', once again produced by Matt Elliott. With an ever changing line up still revolving around the two brothers, the sound of the band changed yet again, moving further into indie electronics.
Colaborating with friends Doseone and Why? from the Anticon collective came Hoods 5th studio album 'Cold House' in 2001, their most well known and collectively appreciated ablum. It contained elements of Post Rock, IDM, Indie as well as Doseone and Why?'s voice and lyric talents. Features the single 'You Show No Emotion At All'. Released on Domino.
In early 2005, Hood released 'Outside Closer', an emotional journey through ambience and hip hop beats. More line up changes occured, meaning this album was yet again different to the previous. Taking influence from The Remote Viewer, Prefuse 73 and Empress (the singer of which appears on the album). The tracks 'The Lost You' and 'The Negatives' were released as singles, featuring b-sides and videos for the tracks.
Since the release of 'Outside Closer' Hood have toured with Why? promoting his new album 'Elephant Eyelash' and released various remixes.
During 2006, Gareth S Brown, who played in the aforementioned tour, has been working on a solo album, due for release in November on Richard's girlfriend's label Misplaced Pets.
Currently due for release on record label anticon, is a solo album from Hood lead singer Chris Adams under the name of Bracken. The lead single from the album, titled 'Heathens', is due out in November, the album, titled 'We Know About the Need' follows in January.
In 2007 Richard Adams formed a side project The Declining Winter which has spawned a 7" The Future Sound of Hip Hop parts 1 and 2 and an album Goodbye Minnesota.
There are no plans for any further Hood releases.
Across the Lonely Writing Side
Hood Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
The kind that you can only dream of
But that's the way it goes
You take what you want
And how can I make this sound
Like I don't mind?
They forecast rain
But we don't care
Words have all been used before
Oh, how to say
Words have all been used before
Oh, how to say
In Hood's song "Across the Lonely Writing Side", the lyrics are depicting a complex emotional state of being affected by false memories of love. The person he is referring to in the lyrics may have left him with an idealized version of love that he can only dream of. He is aware that this love is not real, and he feels powerless to do anything but accept it. The singer is trying to make sense of the situation and come to terms with it. It's like he is saying that he is aware of the reality of the situation, yet he still chooses to hold on to that dream. It could be because the pain of accepting the truth is too much to bear, or because the dream is too good to give up. The second verse is a repetition of the first verse, indicating that the emotions and thoughts are constantly on the singer's mind. The line "Words have all been used before, oh how to say" could imply that the singer is struggling to express his feelings and make sense of them.
Overall, the song seems to be expressing a feeling of helplessness about love and relationships, and how human beings tend to hold on to false hopes and unrealistic expectations. It's a reminder that love often doesn't work out the way we want it to, and we have to learn to accept that reality.
Line by Line Meaning
You leave me with false memories of love
You have caused me to remember something that never truly existed, a love that only appeared in my imagination
The kind that you can only dream of
These are memories that are too good to be true, they exist only in our wildest dreams
But that's the way it goes
This is just how life works, sometimes we are left with false memories and we have to learn to deal with it
You take what you want
You are a selfish person who only cares about your own desires and needs
And how can I make this sound
I am struggling to find the words to express how I truly feel about this situation
Like I don't mind?
I am trying to pretend that your actions don't bother me, but in reality, I am deeply hurt
They forecast rain
The weather forecast indicates that it will rain soon
But we don't care
Despite the possibility of bad weather, we are unbothered and will carry on as usual
Words have all been used before
We have heard all of these words and phrases countless times, they have lost their meaning and impact
Oh, how to say
I am struggling to find a new way to express myself, to say something meaningful that hasn't been said before
Words have all been used before
Once again, I am reminded that all the words I can think of have already been used and are no longer effective
Oh, how to say
I am still searching for the right words to communicate my emotions in a way that will be truly understood
Contributed by Elliot D. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@colindefrance9011
Magnifique titre.
@holob55
thanks for sharing! rare stuff...