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.
Waterkill
Red House Painters Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
From the bottom of the fate lake
I feel the vibes as feet of Christ go by
Large and small and fast they fall
Prayin' for my dear breath
Don't want to face my fear of death
Dredge and fork and dive and fish
For everyone's best wish
But still with my eyes and ears
Without breath, even still
I like it down here in waterkill
Without breath, even still
I like it down here in waterkill
Separate from the shoal of unserious
Who fed upon my dwindlin' life
Robbed what dim and dyin' soul that I might
Settled in the nervous core
Days down, recollectin' youth before
Holdin' my dear self
Don't want to feel my flesh unfelt
Slowest tortoise, fastest shark
I watch from the bottom of the lake dark
Slowest tortoise, fastest shark
I watch from the bottom of the lake dark
The lyrics to Red House Painters' song "Waterkill" paint a vivid picture of someone who is submerged in a deep lake, struggling to breathe. The first verse expresses the difficulty of their situation, comparing it to the bottom of a lake filled with fate, which could be interpreted as a metaphor for the inevitability of their circumstances. As they observe the passing feet of Christ, it signifies a mix of both hope and resignation to their fate.
The second verse delves deeper into their experience, highlighting the desperation and longing for breath and the fear of death that accompanies it. The act of dredging, forking, diving, and fishing represents their continuous search for solutions or wishes that could alleviate their suffering. However, even in this state, they find solace in the stillness and quietude of being underwater, finding a strange sort of peace in their predicament.
The third verse describes a sense of isolation from others who are not burdened by the same seriousness or weight of existence. The singer feels that others have fed upon their diminishing life force, leaving their soul dim and dying. They reflect on their past and the memories of their youth, clinging to themselves and desperately avoiding the sense of becoming disconnected from their physical existence.
The final lines of the lyrics introduce a metaphorical contrast between the slowest tortoise and the fastest shark, symbolizing the stark difference in movement and life force observed by the submerged narrator from the depths of the dark lake. They watch, passively observing without actively participating, as life goes on above, feeling both detached and entranced by the world they are separated from.
Overall, the lyrics of "Waterkill" portray a person grappling with the difficulties and limitations of their existence, finding a paradoxical sense of peace and connection in their isolation and struggles. It delves into themes of mortality, longing, and the contrasting experiences of life from different perspectives.
Line by Line Meaning
It isn't great tryin' to breathe
Struggling to breathe is a difficult and exasperating experience
From the bottom of the fate lake
Feeling trapped and suffocated in a situation determined by destiny
I feel the vibes as feet of Christ go by
Sensing the presence and influence of powerful and divine forces
Large and small and fast they fall
Witnessing various forms of life and existence coming to an end
Under meltin' summer sky
Enduring the oppressive heat and atmosphere of a changing season
Prayin' for my dear breath
Desperately pleading and longing for the ability to breathe
Don't want to face my fear of death
Avoiding confronting the deep-seated fear of mortality
Dredge and fork and dive and fish
Engaging in various efforts and activities to uncover hidden desires and wishes
For everyone's best wish
Seeking fulfillment and happiness for everyone, selflessly
But still with my eyes and ears
Observing and listening intently, despite the absence of breath
Without breath, even still
Even in a breathless state, I find solace and contentment
I like it down here in waterkill
Finding comfort and satisfaction in the depths of suffocation
Separate from the shoal of unserious
Distinct and detached from those who lack seriousness and depth
Who fed upon my dwindlin' life
Individuals who drained and exploited my diminishing vitality
Robbed what dim and dyin' soul that I might
Taking away what little energy remained in my fading spirit
Settled in the nervous core
Establishing a sense of unease and tension within the innermost part of myself
Days down, recollectin' youth before
Spending time in introspection, recalling memories of a bygone youth
Holdin' my dear self
Clutching onto my own existence and identity
Don't want to feel my flesh unfelt
Avoiding the painful realization of physical and emotional numbness
Slowest tortoise, fastest shark
Observing contrasting beings from the depths of the dark lake
I watch from the bottom of the lake dark
Remaining as a passive observer, submerged in the depths of a murky and mysterious lake
Lyrics © ROUGH TRADE PUBLISHING, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: Mark Edward Kozelek
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind