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.
Things Mean a Lot
Red House Painters Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Next to the blue water
The one only sissies ride
There's the sun going down
Creating that fluorescent glow, reminding me
I'll never be able to relive this day
Except in memory
There's those big barking fish
In the concrete stream
Growling for dog food
Bulging dead eyes that gleam
Where's dad?
And where is mom?
Looks like from here on out
It's me and you
Looks like from here on out
It's just me and you
The song "Things Mean a Lot" by Red House Painters reflects on the passage of time, the inevitability of change, and the way memories can be both beautiful and sorrowful. The first verse describes a scene of amusement, with the singer observing a roller coaster near the blue water. However, the roller coaster is labeled as something only "sissies" would ride, which introduces a note of sadness or isolation. The sunset is also described in a way that emphasizes its transient qualities, and the singer acknowledges that this moment can never be experienced again except as a memory. In the second verse, the scene shifts to a more mundane setting, an urban area with fish in a concrete stream. The singer notes the grotesque aspects of their appearance, but also seems to find beauty in their barking and the way they reflect light. The final lines of the song shift to a sense of loss or abandonment, with the singer wondering where their parents are and expressing a sense of resignation to being alone with someone else.
Overall, the song is about finding meaning in seemingly small or insignificant moments, recognizing the way those moments are linked to larger themes of time, memory, and impermanence, and acknowledging the pain that comes with recognizing those themes. The specific details of the roller coaster and fish help to ground the song in a sense of tangible reality, while the abstract sense of loss and longing gives it a universal resonance.
Line by Line Meaning
There's my favorite roller coaster
There's something that I have a great affinity for and that brings me joy - in this case, a roller coaster ride.
Next to the blue water
The roller coaster is located beside a body of water that has a blue hue.
The one only sissies ride
The roller coaster is not meant for those who don't have the courage to ride it.
There's the sun going down
The sun is setting.
Creating that fluorescent glow, reminding me
The sun's light carries a unique luminescence that resonates with me and transports me to a momentous time.
I'll never be able to relive this day
I'm aware that this time in my life is fleeting and that once it's gone, it'll be impossible to get back.
Except in memory
But I will be able to retain the memories of this moment to a certain degree.
There's those big barking fish
There's a fish species that seems to be surprisingly vocal.
In the concrete stream
These fish are situated in an artificial, human-made waterway or reservoir.
Growling for dog food
The fish appear to be quite hungry and are making noises to show their impatience for food.
Bulging dead eyes that gleam
The eyes of these fish look almost lifeless, but they seem to shine as if reflecting some hidden emotion.
Where's dad?
It seems someone in the author's life, perhaps their father, is absent.
And where is mom?
Another person significant to the author, perhaps their mother, is also missing.
Looks like from here on out
It appears that going forward or proceeding without the aforementioned individuals is inevitable.
It's me and you
The only people left and relevant for the author's journey now are themselves and some unidentified other.
Looks like from here on out
The same sentiment is restated.
It's just me and you
Again, the only other individual remaining is unnamed, but it's clear that they will be of some importance to the author's journey.
Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: Mark Edward Kozelek
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Ebony LightRain Vampire
A descending climb
My feet can't make the hill
To the top where your house hides
Tomorrow she comes
The one who I've sworn and broke loyally
To take your place in the bed next to me
You threaten to make me dead
And none of this will matter or surface again
Scares you to know that we won't be
Watching the same sun
Or brooding the same thoughts
In the same part of the world
Scares me how you get older
How you forget about each other
Scares me how you get older
How you forget about each other
Things mean a lot at the time
Don't mean nothing later
Things mean a lot at the time
Olivia Andonian
This album has a body count.
Zaphyra
damn
Ebony LightRain Vampire
A descending climb
My feet can't make the hill
To the top where your house hides
Tomorrow she comes
The one who I've sworn and broke loyally
To take your place in the bed next to me
You threaten to make me dead
And none of this will matter or surface again
Scares you to know that we won't be
Watching the same sun
Or brooding the same thoughts
In the same part of the world
Scares me how you get older
How you forget about each other
Scares me how you get older
How you forget about each other
Things mean a lot at the time
Don't mean nothing later
Things mean a lot at the time
Jordan Andrew Jefferson
Mark has written some of the saddest songs that have oddly enough given me much peace...
lukerr87
So stunning. The echo on "Watching the same sun" gives me chills. Every. Time.
hi there
No. I refuse to accept being brought down by this song....I gotta think positive...I just always go back to this song when I'm feeling down...but I guess it helps to remind myself that things mean alot all the time...
Travis Carver
Remember what you wrote: things mean a lot ALL-THE-TIME.
bladeer
alex relax hope you're holding up
sedantez24
One of the great, under-rated, song writers
ludvik199t
this is absolutely my favorite :D so great song. pure as hell!