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.
BUBBLE
Red House Painters Lyrics
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I know that we don't think along the same lines
But what do I do when I can't reach out
Through this iron built bubble of pain
Your house settled in deep country
With acres and a farm and a stream to cleanse me
Your house with a view of purity
I embrace the moment, I'm in love with a dream
And toy with ideas that burn deep inside me
?Cause a picture is all you are to me
A picture is all you'll ever be
I know you don't know me
A nervous, wordless face brings shade to your light
But I want so bad to walk beside you
But fall back into a world where I believe
I embrace the moment, I'm in love with a dream
And toy with ideas that burn deep inside me
Because a picture is all you are to me
A picture is all you'll ever be
The lyrics of "Bubble" by Red House Painters depict the sense of isolation and distance from someone who is seemingly unattainable or out of reach. The singer acknowledges that he doesn't know this person and they don't share similar viewpoints. He is frustrated that he cannot connect with them due to a "bubble of pain" which seems to separate them. However, he is struck by the beauty of this person's house, surrounded by nature, which reflects their pure character. Even though the singer cannot be with this person, he holds onto the image of them as a dream or idea that he can't shake off, leading him to toy with thoughts that deeply affect him. Despite this intense longing, the singer realizes this person is just a picture and can only ever exist in his mind.
The lyrics of "Bubble" reflect a common theme in Red House Painters' music, that of loneliness and alienation. The use of nature and rural settings as a backdrop are recurrent motifs in their songs, hinting at the potential for solace and healing. The meaning is open to interpretation, but it could be seen as being about the difficulty of trying to connect with another person, either because of emotional barriers, distance, or lack of compatibility. The use of the word "bubble" suggests that the singer feels trapped or enclosed, making it impossible for them to break through to this person. While the song is melancholic in tone, it leaves a sense of hope that love and connection are attainable, even if just as a dream.
Line by Line Meaning
I know I don't know you
I am aware of the fact that I do not have a personal relationship with you
I know that we don't think along the same lines
I understand that we have different perspectives and beliefs
But what do I do when I can't reach out
I feel helpless when I am unable to connect with you
Through this iron built bubble of pain
I am struggling to break through the emotional barrier that separates us
Your house settled in deep country
Your home is located in a rural area
With acres and a farm and a stream to cleanse me
Your property has large land and water resources that offer a cleansing effect
Your house with a view of purity
Your home has an outlook of innocence and cleanliness
Overlooks a hillside of green, green as your eyes
The view from your home is of a green hillside that reminds me of the color of your eyes
I embrace the moment, I'm in love with a dream
I am cherishing this moment, and I am enamored with an ideal but unattainable vision
And toy with ideas that burn deep inside me
I am toying with intense emotions that are deeply rooted within me
?Cause a picture is all you are to me
Because you are no more than a mere image to me
A picture is all you'll ever be
You will never be more than a static image to me
I know you don't know me
I am aware that you do not have a personal relationship with me either
A nervous, wordless face brings shade to your light
My uncomfortable and speechless demeanor dampens your positivity and enthusiasm
But I want so bad to walk beside you
Despite our differences and my nervousness, I have a strong desire to be with you
But fall back into a world where I believe
However, I retreat back into a world of my own beliefs and thoughts instead of pursuing a relationship with you
Lyrics © ROUGH TRADE PUBLISHING, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: Mark Edward Kozelek
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind