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.
Moments
Red House Painters Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
curled up and warm like easter's child
a breath so faint, angelic weight
i can't deny
that i drift sometimes
even in these loving moments
to summery fields i call my own
at one with my death
with limbs outstretched
i can't deny
that i'm weak sometimes
even in my strongest moments
and the way you cry at me
i don't know why
you stay
The lyrics to Red House Painters' "Moments" describe a moment of intimacy and vulnerability between two people who deeply care for each other. The singer describes their partner as curled up and warm, with a breath that is faint and angelic. Despite the comfort of this moment, the singer admits to drifting away in their mind to a place of peace and rest, where they can feel at one with death. This admission shows the singer's struggle with mental health and possibly suicidal thoughts, even in moments of love and affection. The final lines of the song reveal the singer's insecurity and confusion about why their partner chooses to stay with them despite these struggles.
The use of music in this song adds to the intensity of the lyrics. The slow, mournful pace of the song matches the melancholy tone of the lyrics, while the guitar and piano add a sense of tenderness and vulnerability.
Line by Line Meaning
gently in these ragged folds
Softly cradled in the disheveled bedding
curled up and warm like easter's child
Tightly wrapped and cozy like a newborn during the spring holiday
a breath so faint, angelic weight
A barely detectable exhalation with a heavenly presence
i can't deny
I cannot lie or hide from the truth
that i drift sometimes
That I occasionally wander or lose focus
even in these loving moments
Even when embraced by tenderness
to summery fields i call my own
To warm, pastoral landscapes that I consider mine
where i can lie and in them feel
Where I can recline and experience
at one with my death
A oneness with my eventual demise
with limbs outstretched
With my extremities extended
i can't deny
I cannot lie or hide from the truth
that i'm weak sometimes
That I am occasionally feeble or fragile
even in my strongest moments
Even at my most resilient times
and the way you cry at me
And the manner in which you weep in my presence
i don't know why
I am uncertain as to the cause
you stay
You remain or continue to be with me
Lyrics © ROUGH TRADE PUBLISHING, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: Mark Edward Kozelek
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Vinícius Oliveira
gently in these ragged folds
curled up and warm like easter's child
a breath so faint, angelic weight
i can't deny
that i drift sometimes
even in these loving moments
to summery fields i call my own
where i can lie and in them feel
at one with my death
with limbs outstretched
i can't deny
that i'm weak sometimes
even in my strongest moments
and the way you cry at me
i don't know why
you stay
Bla Bla
The soundtrack to the worst period of my life circa 1997-98... 20 years down the road and listening to this now still makes chills run up and down my spine. Depression never really goes away, does it.
facgce
💔
Amie Clay
"Depression is living in a body that fights to survive, with a mind that tries to die."
efewfew
How did you break out?
Anthony Testa
You either figure out how to live with it, or you don’t
R S
The human spirit is unbreakable. Love is possible, always.
sadcore
Beautiful agony. I emptied an entire bar once when I played this, proving that most can't take Truth'n'Beauty.
tehee
I just discovered this song tonight. It’s like something I’ve always heard in my soul — it’s a most beautiful song with a total fall into darkness, perfect musical dissonance
Sometimescloudy
Holy shit my friend what a amazing story of a true cult following of great music taste
Puddles 420
Ha! I do the same thing. Maybe that’s why I don’t get asked back.