Public Servant Lifestyle

Leeds-based experimentalists HOOD follow up the release of last year’s The Lost You EP with a brand new album and a nationwide tour.

Outside Closer by HOOD

The mysterious men known only as HOOD follow up a great double CD compilation and last Autumn’s The Lost You EP with the release of a cracking new full-length studio album.

Outside Closer foregrounds a new directness and boldness for the band, with the Leeds-based four piece delivering a bright, brave, modern sounding record that’ll be chock full of surprises for old fans and newcomers to the HOOD fold alike. Packed with originality, venom, heart and soul – just like real pop music should be, at it’s best - Outside Closer is a small revelation.

“We wanted it to jump out of the speakers and sound like the feeling you have when you take a really good shower” explains Richard Adams (AKA R. Vincent, one quarter of the core of the HOODs current line-up). “To make it emotionally draining. Anti-indie/tronic. Big rather than small. Baseball stadium over laptop. Songs over electronics. Not background music. Not ‘nice’, not ‘chill out’”.

Experimentalism

Formed in the winter of 1990, HOODs early work drew influences from the East London experimentalism via New Zealand post-rock. Increasingly the band have looked beyond these twin early obsessions and, drawing influence instead from British folk, cavernous dub, brutal hip-hop and minimal techno – as played out (largely, to be honest, devoid of the folk influence) at their club nights: Echoleila and Freedom Sounds.

“We wanted to move away from the electronic side of things and bring in other elements that sounded unique to us.” Confirms Chris Adams (AKA Cris(is)).. “Basically the LP is song orientated and features totally different production styles to the last LP (Cold House). The tracks are all quite different as we worked on them all over quite a long period of time – adding to them, taking things off, putting them back on, taking them off again then finally putting them back on as the final step, before taking them back off.”

Though they barely sound anything like either, the music makers of HOOD have been variously compared to The Streets’ Mike Skinner and Underworld’s Karl Hyde – for the astuteness with which they evoke their immediate environment. Future single The Negatives... would suggest that the brothers Adams find their epiphanies in long winter walks rather than anything else…”Go to the farthest place from your house!” the track urges. “Stand there for a while. Make sure you’re broke. And watch the birds fly round!”

The Great Outdoors

“Our love of the great outdoors has been well documented,” reiterates Chris Adams, before adding: “Please refer to all our LPs, singles, tapes, compilation appearances, flexis, MP3s, interviews and general conversations...”

The track list for the new long-player from HOOD shapes up like this:

1. Int

2. The Negatives...

A track that seems to find the Adams brothers covering their local train lines with leaves as a means of subversion. HOOD seem to be defining themselves by such acts of gentle insurrection.

3. Any hopeful thoughts arrive

4. End Of One Train Working

On old single: (The) Weight, HOOD intimated that they would sabotage their local railway system so that a lover didn’t have to go home. The album title - Outside Closer - might just reference such actions again. On this track End Of One Train Working - a phrase that appears writ small, but clear, once again on the sleeve artwork – it’s as if the group have achieved this aim, without actually achieving the anticipated aim. “Where is the train ride home?” they wonder. “Where is the love we had?”

5. Winter 72

6. The Lost You

This is a track that stutters and stammers – and even pauses for a brief fragment of dialogue, from what appears to be an aborted live show. “The same problem as usual,” declares a vaguely German-sounding voice, feeding back into the band’s own absorbing sense of melancholy. “You know I don’t ever have the time to witness the passing of these years, “ proclaims Cris(is), wearily, “I dedicate this day to you.”

7. Still Rain Fell

8. 1. Fading Hills

9. Closure

10. This Is It, Forever

An allusion to the end of HOOD? “We’ve probably been the only band ever to announce our split in song.” (the charming, apocalyptic titled ditty HOOD is Finished) “…and then not split.” suggests Chris. “So I don’t know.” Don’t be fooled, this is a new dawn for HOOD. Wake up to it.

A selected HOOD-ography

Cabled Linear Traction - Slumberland - LP (1995) & CD (1999)

Silent '88 - Slumberland – LP & CD (1996)

Structured Disasters - Happy Go Lucky – LP (1996) & CD (1997)

The vinyl album came with a free 7" single to include all the songs – and this is a great little long-player includes two standout tracks: My Last August and Experimental Filmmaking

Rustic Houses, Forlorn Valleys - Domino – CD & LP (1998)

The Cycle Of Days And Seasons - Domino - CD & LP (1999)

Cold House - Domino - CD & LP (2001)

Misplaced Music 101 Double CD only - Singles Compilation (2003)

Almost 60 tracks – including a number of previously unreleased HOOD gems and previously unreleased numbers: Innocence Of Brittle Days and Morpeth, the superbly titled: We'll Never Live Up To The First LP, Interlude, Consulting Architecture, Create, I Held Her In My Arms, Leaves Across The Road, Landlocked, Killing The Band, To Emphasise Words, 15 Ways To Dispose Of The Broken Man, The Go-Between, The Rain Never Tires and State Of The Art

Outside Closer - CD and LP (2005).

Catch HOOD on tour in the UK in 2005 at the following fine venues:

9 April Rescue Rooms, Nottingham
10 April The Garage, London
11 April Ar2 (University Union), Bristol

Outside Closer is out now on Domino, as a CD and LP. Former single, the five-track The Lost You EP is still available – featuring four tracks not on this album. A further single release of The Negatives... is planned from HOOD – again on Domino, in March.

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