like a friend you dont want to see

A great thing about bands like Radiohead and Wilco is that the songs can have a different meaning to them. Did you get laid to She's a Jar? Bam, that song becomes happy (over time). Was Kid A playing when your love left you? Bam, that song becomes sad (over time). Sometimes with bands like the Killers and Jimmy Eat World I ask myself "Do I like the song or do I like the context?" This is not the case with Red House Painters. I guess you can't expect anything worthy of a "Rockin' Road Trip" mix-tape or happy memories from a genre called sadcore. Not like that's a bad thing; their minimalistic opening track '24' is very fresh and keeps your attention. 'Medicine Bottle' is considerably heavier than '24' and is almost like a suicide note. The title track is epic - at 11 minutes it still manages to stay consistent instead of starting out strong and then haphazardly dragging on. 'Japanese to English' is a personal favorite, and has a hopeless vibe to it. Maybe it's a little cliche ("It's not that simple, this dictionary/It never has a word for the way I'm feeling"); but I like it that way. 'Lord Kill the Pain' has a decidedly alt-country tone, and is a breath of fresh air due to its relative fastness. 'Michael' is the grand finale, and wraps the album together nicely. It's similar to the title-track, but a tad dreamier.