The band is described, along with Low and American Music Club, as one of the linchpins of the slowcore movement, a subgenre of Indie Rock characterized by downbeat melodies, slow tempos, and often minimalist arrangements. The genre was shaped by musical influences like Folk Rock, Contemporary Folk, and later on, Indie Folk, creating a subdued atmosphere that clashed against most of the comparatively brash Alternative Rock that was popular at the time. Kozelek used this group primarily as a vehicle for his very personal and emotional songs of despair, pain and suffering.
While in Atlanta, Kozelek became friends with Anthony Koutsos, a drummer. He then moved to San Francisco, adding guitarist Gorden Mack and bassist Jerry Vessel to complete the line-up for Red House Painters. After forming, the group played the San Francisco scene extensively, and recorded demos from 1989 to 1992, building up an impressive amount of material. Once they were signed to 4AD Records in 1992, they put out five-and-a-half LPs worth of material in two-and-a-half years--between September 1992 and March 1995, they released three LPs, one double LP, and one EP on 4AD.
Their first 4AD release was an album made up of select demos titled Down Colorful Hill. It was a compilation of haunting melodies complemented by Kozelek's eerie yet rich and emotional vocals. In 1993, the group came out with two self-titled records (now commonly referred to as "Red House Painters I" or "Rollercoaster" and "Red House Painters II" or "Bridge" (based on their cover artwork), solidifying Kozelek's reputation as a talented songwriter with their harrowing autobiographical tales of his troubled life and errant living with no punches being pulled. The music, which ran the gamut from beautiful acoustic folk-rock to intense, dissonant, lengthy soundscapes, effectively conveyed the sadness of the lyrics.
In 1994, they released an EP entitled Shock Me and in 1995, the introspective Ocean Beach, which saw Kozelek's songs becoming more acoustic-based and folk influenced, and featured far less of the lengthy, dreamlike epics of the group's first two albums. His lyrics also showed a considerable shift in tone, as he increasingly began to write about the power of memory and the significance of geography, a subject that would become an obsession in his subsequent recordings.
While Kozelek was beginning work on a solo project, he parted ways with 4AD Records after a somewhat tumultuous relationship. Entitled Songs for a Blue Guitar, which was released on Island Records subsidiary Supreme Recordings in 1996. It was more of a guitar-driven rock album that they released under the Red House Painters name to give the album more publicity. A year later, they came up with Old Ramon, arguably their most accessible, optimistic recording to date. However, major label mergers during the late 90's would leave them without a record label, and it wasn't until 2001 that they were able to release the album on Sub Pop.
Prior to the release of Old Ramon, Kozelek released a solo six-song EP entitled Rock 'n' Roll Singer in 2000. The record was comprised of three original acoustic compositions with minor full-band arrangements and three covers: two AC/DC covers from the Bon Scott era and one John Denver cover. Following the release of the first solo EP, Kozelek released his first solo album six months later. The record, entitled What's Next to the Moon, was released in January of 2001, but would greatly surprise fans. What's Next to the Moon was comprised entirely of shimmering, melancholy acoustic AC/DC covers from the Bon Scott era. The record was also greatly uncharacteristic of Kozelek (though he was prone to enjoy covering songs by his favorite artists) in that it is the shortest full length to date clocking in at just over thirty minutes. Even the first Red House Painters album with only six tracks was more than 45 minutes in length. Both solo albums were released by Badman Records.
4AD would release the best-of package, "Retrospective", on a double-disc in 1999. Kozelek subsequently organized and appeared on a John Denver tribute album, played a part in Cameron Crowe's film Almost Famous and also appeared as a rock musician in the Steve Martin vehicle Shopgirl. He contributed to both a benefit album for AIDS and an album of classic rock covers.
In 2003 Kozelek and Koutsos, along with Geoff Stanfield and Tim Mooney, reformed as Sun Kil Moon, releasing the acclaimed album Ghosts of the Great Highway on Jetset Records. In a 2005 interview with The Onion's AV Club, Kozelek confirmed that he considers Sun Kil Moon essentially the Red House Painters, but that he changed the band name to grab the interest of critics who had gotten bored with, or stopped paying attention to, the Painters. The move was successful, as Ghosts of the Great Highway would be his best-selling album yet, while garnering extremely positive reviews.
24
Red House Painters Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And we're not kids on swingsets on the blacktop
And I thought at fifteen that I'd have it down by sixteen
And twenty-four keeps breathing in my face
Like a mad whore
And twenty-four keeps pounding at my door
Like a friend you don't want to see
To every love given child
Oldness comes to rile
The youth who dream suicide
The opening lines of Red House Painters' "24" speaks to the idea of a certain level of disillusionment. The song contrasts the romanticized visions of youth against the realities of aging, with the singer lamenting the loss of his youthful hopes of fame and fortune. The imagery of "loaded stadiums" and "ballparks" serves as a symbol for the grandiose dreams of youth; the kind of excitement that stems from a place of naive optimism. However, the singer has grown up and realizes that reality is much different. Instead of stadiums, he is confronted with the everyday struggles of adulthood.
The line "And twenty-four keeps breathing in my face like a mad whore" reveals the struggle with aging that the singer is experiencing. He cannot shake off the feeling that the best years of his life have already passed him by. The line "and twenty-four keeps pounding at my door like a friend you don't want to see" represents the hesitancy here, with the idea of holding onto the past and the fear of the future. The singer is reflecting on the fleeting nature of youth, in a way that feels regretful and bittersweet.
In the final lines of the song, the singer states that "oldness comes with a smile to every love given child" - which suggests that there is an inherent beauty to growing old gracefully, rather than fearing it. The idea of old age might come to "rile the youth who dream suicide," but perhaps it is also a lesson on the acceptance and embracing of change.
Line by Line Meaning
So it's not loaded stadiums or ballparks
We're not living extravagant lives or achieving great fame
And we're not kids on swingsets on the blacktop
We're not carefree children playing on a playground
And I thought at fifteen that I'd have it down by sixteen
At fifteen, I believed that I'd have everything figured out by the age of sixteen
And twenty-four keeps breathing in my face
I am constantly reminded of my age, twenty-four, and time seems to be passing quickly
Like a mad whore
Time feels chaotic and uncontrollable, like an unpredictable prostitute
And twenty-four keeps pounding at my door
I cannot escape the constant reminder of my age and mortality
Like a friend you don't want to see
The grim reality of aging is like an unwelcome visitor
Oldness comes with a smile
Growing older often brings about a sense of contentment and acceptance
To every love given child
Those who are loved and cared for during childhood often grow up to be happy adults
Oldness comes to rile
However, growing older can also bring about frustration and restlessness
The youth who dream suicide
Young people who struggle with mental health issues may feel overwhelmed and hopeless as they grow older
Lyrics © ROUGH TRADE PUBLISHING, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: Mark Edward Kozelek
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@Motavian
The one thing I promise you will do, as a melancholic growing older is look back when you were a young man lamenting the loss of your youth and chuckle to yourself. Live brazenly and heroically even if in little ways, you will make more mistakes than others, however mistakes in that volume are the unique privilege of the bold, the consolation is that you will have lived your youth well because you've grown into yourself.
@natsukibarususubaru
suicide rate is only growing and growing, i doubt anybody who relates to this song is planning on living past 30
@saulabbott-atchison6660
Thanks mum ..
@Motavian
@@saulabbott-atchison6660 It comes from experience, live well!
@rainfield383
23 and been avoiding this song all year...
@Doubleentendre69
I hadn't listened to it all year, I just turned 24 an hour ago. Yikes.
@hpebackwards
I've been waiting since I heard this song 6 or 7 years ago. Now's the day. Still love RHP and this album.
@maxisauvi
crying, sobbing even.
@Hayyden
that kid has a really deep voice!
@Camothor10
@@JawwadNoaman I think he means the little kid? Or is that little child actually Mark?