Ocean Beach

by

Red House Painters

Edit

I listened to Ocean Beach while on a long train ride this morning. It was a mild winter's day in Melbourne and the sky was flat slate grey. By the end of the record it occurred to me that this weather was a not inappropriate setting in which to listen to such an album. For Red House Painter's 1995 release, while full of sadness, yet resonates with the clarity of a pale grey winter sky.

Mark Kozelek's songs echo those of Melbourne songwriter Gareth Edwards (the singer and guitarist in Sandro) in that they document the paradoxical yet fundamental coexistence of love and hate in the same relationship. For how can there be one without the other? This is never more achingly spelt out than on Drop, Ocean Beach's nine-minute closing song, wherein Kozelek describes in simple, awful clarity such a relationship.

Ocean Beach is a unadorned, uncluttered record. From the sweet shuffle of Cabezon and Over My Head, via the upbeat yet serene San Geronimo (with its slow, deliberate fadeout) to such tragic testaments as Shadows, all the while burnished by Kozelek's warm, pacific voice, it is a record that I cherish more and more on each listening. May it be the soundtrack to many more winter's days like this one.

I was really looking forward to listening this record. I'd never had anything from RHP before and I looking at the reviews I thought I found a new favorite. Well, actually it turned out a bit too arty for my taste. There are songs that are way too long on this album, they sometimes become a bit too repetitious. The voice of Kozelek is fine, though. Sounds like Duncan Sheik a bit - some of the songs even resemble Sheik's "ballads" musically. But, on the whole, if you consider that "Ocean Beach" consists only of slow songs (that must be a trademark of the band), they're simply not that heavenly breathtaking. Experimental, creative music, but I think one that's hard to really adore.