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.
Michigan
Red House Painters Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I don't know if we'll get dressed
So pull by that store parking lot
You know I've missed your lots
Warn me of the cans and knots
I don't need a house in Lake Michigan
I don't need a purpose to plan within
Down town the exits just around
Can't you smell our future good and well?
I'll take you upstairs show you my bed and things
Share all my thoughts and cares
Here is my heart here is my soul
You pushed me past my lonely door
You are my everything
September a time of in betweens
Lazy month of nothing
All rainy gutters rushing
They're all true
All the good things you say
Will they all pass
Quit like the clouds today?
They'll be there in your pretty dreams
All full of color and sense of things
You blow breath of life in me
I felt this way the night before
You pulled me from this heavy floor
You are my everything
You are my everything
The song Michigan by Red House Painters is a melancholic ballad that showcases the yearning and longing of the singer for his lover. The opening lines, "I see through your thin cotton dress, I don't know if we'll get dressed," displays the intense intimacy between the two characters. The singer is giving into his desires and wants to express that to his lover. He wants to feel alive and experience the rawness of his emotions. The line "Warn me of the cans and knots" suggests they were wandering somewhere that might be dangerous or forbidden, and he might not care about it as his affection for his partner manifests him.
As the song progresses, the singer says that he doesn't need material things such as a house in Lake Michigan or a purpose to plan within. All he desires is to feel the pulse of his lover again. The next lines, "Can't you smell our future good and well? I'll take you upstairs show you my bed and things," are sensual and suggestive of sex as the singer implies plans for physical union with his lover. He declares his love for her by saying, "You are my everything."
In the final verse, the singer mentions September, a month that gives casual feelings to people, but for him, it's significant. It has memories attached to it, and his lover was probably a partner there with him. He wonders if all the good things about their relationships will pass or remain. The singer reminisces about how his lover saved him from his melancholy, and now he belongs to her. The line "You are my everything" is repeated, expressing the importance of the lover to the singer.
Overall, the song Michigan deals with themes of love, desire, and longing for intimacy. It reveals the depth of emotion and the attachment between the two partners. Red House Painters created a hauntingly beautiful song with poetic lyrics that tugs at the heartstrings.
Line by Line Meaning
I see through your thin cotton dress
I can see past your clothing and perceive your true self.
I don't know if we'll get dressed
I don't know if we'll be intimate or if we'll just enjoy each other's company without any physical intimacy.
So pull by that store parking lot
Let's park by the store and spend some quality time together.
You know I've missed your lots
I've missed being with you in every possible way.
Warn me of the cans and knots
Before we start spending time together, please let me know of anything that might hurt or injure us.
I don't need a house in Lake Michigan
I don't need an expensive material possession to feel happy. I am content with what we have.
I don't need a purpose to plan within
I don't need a predefined goal or motive to be with you. Being with you is a purpose in itself.
I just want to feel your pulse again
I just want to be close to you and feel your presence once again.
Down town the exits just around
We're at the heart of the city, and we can leave it whenever we want.
Can't you smell our future good and well?
Don't you feel the happiness that our future holds?
I'll take you upstairs show you my bed and things
I want to take you to my room and show you more of myself, my intimate space.
Share all my thoughts and cares
I want to open up to you and share all my worries and concerns with you.
Here is my heart here is my soul
I'm giving you my heart and soul, entrusting it to you.
You pushed me past my lonely door
You have helped me overcome my loneliness and isolation.
You are my everything
You mean everything to me, and I cherish every moment spent with you.
September a time of in betweens
September is a month that represents transition and change.
Lazy month of nothing
This is a month when we can relax and let go of daily hassles and tensions.
All rainy gutters rushing
The rainy season is here, and everything is in motion, rushing towards something new.
They'll be there in your pretty dreams
All the good memories and moments shared will stay with you, reflected in your dreams.
All full of color and sense of things
These dreams will be vibrant, filled with color and deep meaning to you.
You blow breath of life in me
You breathe new life into me, making me feel alive and energized.
I felt this way the night before
I felt the same way last night, and every time we are together.
You pulled me from this heavy floor
You helped me get over my sadness and brought me back to life.
You are my everything
Above everything else, you are all that matters to me.
Lyrics © ROUGH TRADE PUBLISHING, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: Mark Edward Kozelek
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind