Customer Reviews

Outside Closer

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Think Badly Drawn Boy meets the Notwist and you have a damn good idea of what Hood sound like: lush, mellow, melancholy, and often quite the psychedelic listening experience. There's plenty going on here but I found myself detaching from the music rather easily, not out of any dislike for the music itself but more from the fact that the majority of the album just seems to blend together a little too well. Despite its cinematic and often symphonic qualities, a lot of this just seems to kind of drift away from me. Maybe that's the point. This should in no way be read as a negative review as musically this is quite accomplished, and there's certainly plenty going on here to enjoy. Try before you buy with this one to see if it appeals to you. 3.5 stars but ill round it up to 4.

In the time that Hood has been a band, many others have come and gone. Although I haven't followed them for their full decade-plus (nearly 15 years, actually) span, I have been with the group for closing in on a decade and must admit they're a group that always has my attention when they release an album, simply because they always seem to be pushing their sound and style into a slightly different direction. Their last album Cold House was by far their most unique, incorporating electronics in a way that felt perfectly natural and even somehow pulling cLOUDDEAD members in for vocal work on a couple tracks.

If their last album seemed like a drastic change to their longtime fans, then Outside Closer will seem like more of a logical succession of sound. Taking both techniques that they used on their last album, as well as reverting back even further in their catalog (at this point, it's hard to even believe the group started out doing sparse, droney post rock). After the short, filtered intro track simply titled "(Int)," the album really gets underway with what is also the first single from the album. "The Negatives..." punches with crisp beats and quick orchestral stabs while filtered guitars glitch and flutter and two-part vocals trade up. If you can imagine lush, slightly melancholy indie hip-hop with melodic vocals, it's something like that.

"Any Hopeful Thoughts Arrive" mixes sharp bursts of electronics and programmed beats with simple acoustic guitars and warm vocals while quick bursts of other elements (live percussion, harpsichord) flit into the mix. About halfway through, the track comes together with all the elements and feels even more complete. Although it's not as stark as some of their earlier work, "Winter 72" is a nice look back as a whole stew of instrumentation and vocals are drenched in a huge wave of reverberation, bleeding all the sections of the track together without becoming a dragging dirge.

"The Lost You" brings back the quick bursts of hip-hop influenced programming and might be the most pop-sounding track on the release, yet it doesn't sound out-of-place next to tracks like the more stripped-down and droning "L.Fading Hills." Like Cold House (and many of their albums, actually), lyrics seem to focus on locations and the feelings that they evoke. Even if you don't share the same local with the group, their observations seem to work applied to any place that strong feelings are conjured. Given the group has created another strong release, hopefully the last track on the album (entitled "This Is It, Forever") isn't about the future of the group.

(from almost cool music reviews)

If this CD were a painting, it would be an impressionist landscape. It's soft, dreamy, ethereal, abstract and yet not totally divorced from reality. The album is full of lullabies for world-weary grown-ups who might need to be reminded to stop and smell the roses, and remember that life is beautiful.

While not groundbreaking, "Outside Closer" is a wonderful listen. This album is a mix of South's lush sweep with Pinback's melodies, with a touch of glitch a la Prefuse 73. Acoustic guitars, strings, and occasionally chunky beats form this soundtrack to rainy days. "Winter 72" filters indie rock through dub mechanics (reverbed drums, echoed vocals), creating early 4AD hollowness. Most sounds here are analog, but the feel is chilly. A blanket and hot chocolate (and perhaps staring out the window) would complement this album well.

Outside Closer proves that there can be beauty in simplicity when it comes to indie music. The album is a collection of great tracks layered with simple yet effective vocals, piano, strings and a hint of electronics.

Outstanding Tracks:

o Any Hopeful Thoughts Arrive is a truly beautiful song. Intense, organic and haunting. There's a great guitar loop throughout the song. Definitely check this out.
o The Lost You is a nother great track showing a great incorporation of minimal electronics into layers of accoustic and electric guitar.
o L. fading Hills is another beautiful track worth listening to.

Though Hood's discography has shown constant experimentation, yet their style remains the same: a sullen aesthetic enriched by sounds and textures. "Outside Closer" seems to be the pinnacle of Hood's pursuit of the bleak and despondent. Despite the record's mood, this is Hood's most consistent and refined work to date. Though the string arrangements seemed monotonous in past records, "Outside Closer" boasts important and beautiful horn and string arrangements that compliment the songs perfectly. At the heart of it all "Any Hopeful Thoughts Arrive", one of Hood's best songs; it defines Hood in every way!

I have been waiting for this album to come out for several years since I got 'cold house', and I was not disappointed. Think of them as a very sad Radiohead or Blur. A deeply moving album, this is a must buy. It is good start to finish.

Well, been waiting for this one anxiously...my immediate gut reaction is that it's quite good, maybe not as "catchy" as Cold House, but good. The reviews have eluded to a more commercial sound which I don't agree with at all. It's basically a more obtuse Cold House. Similar production, maybe a little less glitchy. If you loved Cold House, you will like this one. I've only listened to it once, so it could be grower as well.

I don't like very much this cd 'cause this is not my kind of music. I made a mistake buying it and I think I'm gonna sell it.