Wednesday, September 05, 2007

So That's Who That Was

A few days back I posted a song I heard on a children's show Yo Gabba Gabba but an artist I could not identify. Through some cunning research (read:reading the credits at the end of the show) I discovered that the song was written by Mark Kozelek but I couldn't figure out where I had heard that name before. Then it finally hit me, he's the principle member of THE RED HOUSE PAINTERS. Another one of my 4AD bands from college, the Painters worked in the melancholy shades of acoustic guitars, minor chords and hushed vocals. Kozelek has recorded solo albums and with other musicians under the name SUN KIL MOON, but in all his incarnations he has stayed somewhat true to this folksy style of music. Often the songs extend into rhythmic dirges that can be a bit much to bear, but when he keep things relatively short and tight the impact of his voice and music is really quite powerful. Artists like M. Ward and Low certainly owe a lot of their sound to this guy.

Certainly music for a hazy, kinda dark day.


(mp3) Red House Painters -- Lord Kill The Pain (from Down Colorful Hill)
(mp3) Red House Painters -- Michael (from Down Colorful Hill)
(mp3) Red House Painters -- I Am A Rock (from Red House Painters)...yes it's the Simon and Garfunkel song but with a very different spin.

1 comment:

Unknown said...

Thanks for posting the song. I've been trying to find it since my son watched that ep. Considering my husband and I are big Mark Kozelek/Red House Painters/Sun Kil Moon fans, we were happy to hear him on Yo Gabba Gabba. I was a huge 4AD fan, too. Still got the V23 posters tucked away in some closet.