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.
Song For A Blue Guitar
Red House Painters Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Then some music, soft and distant sails
But it don't sound like it did before
Then I know I'm left with nothing more
Then my own soul
When pretty pictures face back
But your coats aren't hanging on the rack
A place that I can't get to
A place that I can't
In a room all I feel
Is the cold that you left
Through the air all I see
Is your face full of blame
What's left to see?
What's there to see?
In the room all I feel
Is the cold that you left
Through the air all I see
Is your face full of blame
What's left to see?
What's left to see?
What's left to see?
What's left to see?
The song "Song For A Blue Guitar" by Red House Painters is a melancholy yet reflective composition that touches the depths of emotions felt after the loss of a loved one or a failed relationship. The opening lines, "When everything we felt fails, then some music, soft and distant sails," describe the way people seek solace in music when they are overwhelmed with emotions. However, the music doesn't sound the same as it did when they were happy, indicating a change in their emotional state. The following lines highlight that at this point, they are left with nothing but their own soul to confront their feelings.
As the song progresses, the lyrics become more vivid in describing the physical emptiness felt after a breakup. The singer encounters pretty pictures that hearken back to memories of happiness shared with the person, but their physical expressions have vanished. He is unable to return to the places that were once a source of comfort for him, represented by the "blue water turning to a place that I can't get to." The chorus, "What's left to see?" emphasizes the bleak sense of loss and lack of meaning or purpose after being left alone.
The final lines of the song repeat the images of the cold that the person has left behind and the face full of blame. The song concludes with a sense of unresolved emotions and a search for meaning in the wake of a failed relationship.
Line by Line Meaning
When everything we felt fails
When all the emotions we have ever known and felt seem to have failed us,
Then some music, soft and distant sails
We cling to some soft and distant music,
But it don't sound like it did before
But the music doesn't sound like it used to,
Then I know I'm left with nothing more
And when I realize that the music also doesn't fulfill me anymore,
Then my own soul
All I'm left with is my own soul.
When pretty pictures face back
When I recall memories of the past with gleaming images,
But your coats aren't hanging on the rack
But I realize that the people I once shared those happy moments with are no longer within reach,
And blue water turns to
And the peaceful blue water that we used to watch turns into
A place that I can't get to
A place that I can never achieve or experience again.
A place that I can't
I am stuck here, in this place that I can’t escape.
In a room all I feel
When I'm in a room by myself
Is the cold that you left
All I feel is the emptiness and loneliness that you left behind.
Through the air all I see
When I look around in the environment around me.
Is your face full of blame
All I can see is your face devoid of any love or warmth, only full of reproach.
What's left to see?
What else is there to look at anymore?
What's there to see?
What else is there to experience anymore?
What's left to see?
What other sights remain for me to behold?
What's left to see?
What else is there to see in this life?
Lyrics © ROUGH TRADE PUBLISHING, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: Mark Edward Kozelek
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@tansedits5952
Lyrics:
When everything we felt fails
Then some music, soft and distant sails
But it don't sound like it did before
Then I know I'm left with nothing more
Then my own soul
When pretty pictures face back
But your coats aren't hanging on the rack
And blue water turns to
A place that I can't get to
A place that I can't
In a room all I feel
Is the cold that you left
Through the air all I see
Is your face full of blame
What's left to see?
What's there to see?
In the room all I feel
Is the cold that you left
Through the air all I see
Is your face full of blame
What's left to see?
What's left to see?
What's left to see?
What's left to see?
@drplatplat
Lyrics
When everything we felt fails
Then some music, soft and distant sails
But it don't sound like it did before
Then I know I'm left with nothing more
Then my own soul
When pretty pictures face back
But your coats aren't hanging on the rack
And blue water turns to
A place that I can't get to
A place that I can't
In a room all I feel
Is the cold that you left
Through the air all I see
Is your face full of blame
What's left to see?
What's there to see?
In the room all I feel
Is the cold that you left
Through the air all I see
Is your face full of blame
What's left to see?
What's left to see?
What's left to see?
What's left to see?
@boo5214
i wish this was on spotify
@Erik_Ahl
Yes, me too.
@BernardoParraV
I'd been looking for this song for months, I forgot almost everything about it, band name, song name, where I'd heard it, except the feeling, and for some reason the words red and blue. After several failed attempts looking at all my youtube history, but never giving up, I looked "list of indie rock musicians" on wikipedia, and browsed through a thousand names or more. The second I hit Red House Painters I knew it was them... and that this was the song I'd heard. Feels so good to have found it again... I'll make sure I'll never forget it again!
@marcelosena8955
Just replying so you won't forget about the song again, brother
@MichealPiksRice2
Same here! Surprisingly unknown but such a beautiful song.
@maximegagnier615
The feels man.. I'm still looking for a song at the moment it's been 2 years. On the other hand, this one might just be my favorite song of all time.
@shackbhoy
I'm listening for the first time ( i know the bands work but not his album , i somehow missed it) , sublime .
@tembakaugunung6139
There is a music store in my country. Someday, they just randomly make sugestion - listening to this album. I never know about RedHousePainters. Then i just give it a shot. And its forever stuck in my heart
@baretsichilumba2569
The girl next door brought me here after watching it back in 2005🔥🔥 ! Was such a beautiful soundtrack and touching scene.
@daniellemos7751
❤️