Hood are an experimental band from Leeds, UK formed in December 1990. The c… Read Full Bio ↴Hood are an experimental band from Leeds, UK formed in December 1990. The core of the band features brothers Richard and Chris Adams, joined by various different friends over the years. With influences from New Zealand's Flying Nun label and Aphex Twin, and stylistic similarities to The Cure, Mogwai, My Bloody Valentine, Pavement and Boards of Canada, their style of music often changes from ambient rock, to glitch to shoegaze.

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.

The Winter Hit Hard
Hood Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

i know we’ll rise again
from ashes in us
you can feel the winter approach
your cold hand in mine
and there is history here
heavy under night
it is alive
with memories and songs

thoughts lie
abandoned

this year has been so hard

(i was strung up by the empty hearts)
don’t you fight again

this year has been so hard

Overall Meaning

The above lyrics from Hood's song, The Winter Hit Hard, hint at a sense of loss and nostalgia. The opening lines, "I know we’ll rise again from ashes in us," imply that things have not been easy and that the situation is burdensome. It might refer to the personal and emotional turmoil that has been experienced and affected them so deeply that they need to draw strength from the remnants of the past. The imagery in the next line, "You can feel the winter approach, your cold hand in mine," conveys the idea of winters being harsh and unrelenting, and how it can be a challenge to face it without someone to hold onto.

Further, the following lines, "And there is history here, heavy under night, it is alive with memories and songs, thoughts lie abandoned," suggest that the memories of past experiences and memories are still present and can still evoke feelings and emotions. They might be painful or happy memories, but they have a significant impact on the present. The final lines, "This year has been so hard (I was strung up by the empty hearts) don’t you fight again, this year has been so hard," seems to reiterate the struggle that they have gone through and the need to take a break and rest from their constant fight.

Overall, The Winter Hit Hard seems to be a poignant depiction of the struggles and challenges that one encounters during their life journey. It's about the power of memories and how it can pull individuals through difficult times, like winter. The lyrics invite listeners to acknowledge the challenges of life head-on and encourages them to find strength from the remnants of the past and the people around them.

Line by Line Meaning

i know we’ll rise again
I believe that we will overcome our struggles and come out stronger in the end.

from ashes in us
We will rise from the ashes of the difficult times we have faced and rebuild ourselves.

you can feel the winter approach
The difficult times that are coming can be felt and are approaching quickly.

your cold hand in mine
Even though times are tough, we can hold onto each other for warmth and support.

and there is history here
This moment is not just a fleeting one, but is a part of a larger history and narrative of our lives.

heavy under night
The weight of our struggles can be felt particularly deeply when the world is dark and quiet.

it is alive
Our history and experiences are not stagnant or lifeless, but continue to impact and shape us.

with memories and songs
Our history is filled with both joyful and painful experiences that are remembered through memories and songs.

thoughts lie
Even though our memories continue to impact us, sometimes they can also leave us feeling uncertain and disconnected from ourselves.

abandoned
At times, we can feel as though we have been left to fend for ourselves in the face of adversity.

(i was strung up by the empty hearts)
I have been hurt and let down by those who were supposed to care for me during difficult times, leaving me feeling alone and unsupported.

don’t you fight again
Let us not repeat the cycle of struggle and pain, but instead work towards healing and growth.

this year has been so hard
The past year has been particularly challenging and has left us feeling weary and worn out.

Contributed by Madelyn R. Suggest a correction in the comments below.

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