‘Red House Painters (Bridge)’: The second of the band’s eponymous albums of 1993 and with a bridge on the cover to give it its unofficial title, this set was shorter, collecting eight more tracks from the studio sessions the band embarked on upon signing to 4AD. Holding back signature classics like ‘Evil’, ‘Uncle Joe’ and 'Blindfold' for this record, it’s arguably the most experimental and darkest of their 4AD releases, almost reflecting the winter month it was released in.
S**F
Too Drawn Out
Bought this to complete my RHP collection but not sure it was worth it, tracks are too drawn out and drag on. I think Mark writes some great music, it's just not on this album.
W**A
Two Stars
Good quality of product, disappointing album after I had read rave reviews
J**E
Five Stars
Perfect
J**E
Five Stars
VG
R**T
Five Stars
Excellent
D**N
Joy Lies Within
Despite Red House Painters already having released a double album earlier in the year, Mark Kozelek's band capped off a remarkable year in 1993 with this second self-titled release.The whole album is a hugely introspective affair, even by the standards already set by the band. `Evil' tells a story of a childhood misfit; this is followed by two defiantly inwardly-facing narratives in `Bubble' and `I Am a Rock'. Kozelek shows his gift for wringing new emotion and meaning from a cover version in the latter Paul Simon track, which sits very comfortably alongside his own song.`Helicopter' and `Uncle Joe' are beautifully-paced, mostly acoustic songs - classic RHP. The record loses points in my opinion for the pointless beefed-up reworking of `New Jersey' from the earlier double album and the rather uninspiring, meandering `Blindfold', but this slightly frustrating inconsistency is what every Red House Painters fan, such as myself, must accept. It is a price worth paying for when this record is good it is very good indeed.
Trustpilot
3 weeks ago
2 months ago
