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.
Painting the Town Dead
Hood Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Take them back, oh, where's the edge?
But you can try to work it out
A different answer every time
I don't want to leave you
I can't stand all this hanging around
Life is balanced on the edge
Let's paint the town dead
I'll take my chances in the real world
It's so hard to be here
And your friends are full of shit
I don't want to leave you
I can't stand all this hanging around
Life is packaged and sold
Don't fight it's not worth the time
I don't want to be here
I can't stand all this hanging around
Life is packaged and sold
Don't fight, it's not worth the time
Life is balanced on the edge
In Hood's song Painting the Town Dead, the lyrics discuss feeling stuck and stagnant in life. The lines "I don't want to leave you / I can't stand all this hanging around / Life is balanced on the edge / I don't think I want this now" express the desire to escape and take a risk, but at the same time not wanting to leave someone or something behind. The line "Life is balanced on the edge" implies that the singer feels like they are at a turning point or on the brink of something significant.
The chorus "Let's paint the town dead / I'll take my chances in the real world / It's so hard to be here / And your friends are full of shit" suggests that the singer wants to rebel against their current situation and take control of their life. They are willing to take a chance in the "real world" instead of simply existing in their current environment. The line "And your friends are full of shit" may indicate that the singer feels disconnected from the people around them and no longer relates to the opinions and attitudes of their peer group.
Overall, Hood's Painting the Town Dead captures the feeling of being stuck in a place or situation and the desire to break free and take a chance. The lyrics convey a sense of restlessness and discontentment with the status quo.
Line by Line Meaning
Take these words before I
I want to express everything in my mind before it's too late
Take them back, oh, where's the edge?
I fear the consequences of my words, but I can't find a way to take them back
But you can try to work it out
There might be a way to fix this, but I can't do it alone
A different answer every time
The solution to my problems seems to change every time I try to find it
I don't want to leave you
I'm afraid of losing you and the things we have together
I can't stand all this hanging around
I'm tired of standing still and not moving forward in life
Life is balanced on the edge
Life is unpredictable and unstable, and it's hard to know what will happen next
I don't think I want this now
I'm starting to believe that this life isn't what I want or need anymore
Let's paint the town dead
Let's destroy and disrupt the status quo and face the consequences of our actions
I'll take my chances in the real world
I'd rather face the harsh realities of life than remain stagnant in my current situation
It's so hard to be here
I'm struggling to find my place and purpose in this world
And your friends are full of shit
I no longer trust or relate to the people I used to call friends
Life is packaged and sold
Society has commoditized and commercialized life, making it hard to find meaning outside of consumerism
Don't fight it's not worth the time
I've realized that fighting against the system is futile and won't bring me the change I want
I don't want to be here
I'm overwhelmed and unhappy with the way things are in my current environment
Life is packaged and sold
I feel like my life has been predetermined by societal expectations and I don't have control over it
Don't fight, it's not worth the time
I'm choosing to stop fighting against the inevitable and accept my fate
Life is balanced on the edge
My life is teetering between chaos and stability, and I'm not sure where it'll land
Contributed by Bentley V. Suggest a correction in the comments below.