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Stars indicate the most critically-acclaimed albums.

Old Ramon
by Red House Painters


9.0

based on 18 reviews
Read critic reviews
How did we calculate this?

based on 11 votes
Read user comments
Rate this album

MUSIC:

Stuck in label limbo since 1997, 'Old Ramon' finally sees the light of day, thanks to Sub Pop records. It is the first official RHP release since 1996's 'Songs For A Blue Guitar,' although frontman Mark Kozelek released the solo album 'What's Next to the Moon' and appeared in the film "Almost Famous" in the interim.

LABEL:	Sub Pop
RELEASE DATE:	10 April 2001
DISCS:	1 disc
GENRE(S):	Indie, Alternative, Rock

NOTES: Vinyl version released 22 May 2001.

All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...

100

Alternative Press

Kozelek's unique arrangements and breathtaking melodies set him far above his contemporaries. [#154, p.93]

Magnet

With the release of Old Ramon, Kozelek shows he's capable of sustained inspiration.... It's Kozelek's most successful LP: consistent, heartbreakingly sad and filled with gems that will linger in his fans' psyches. [#49, p.85]

PopMatters

Taken as a whole, Old Ramon is a brilliant mopey stroll through San Francisco's slate gray streets.

CDNow

Although they were written as early as 1996 and recorded in 1997-98, the songs on Old Ramon (like most Red House Painters material) have a timeless, dreamy quality to them that prevent them from sounding stale. An album this beautiful can never come too late.

Spin

Old Ramon is sinuous and unhurried, a beautiful downer of a folk rock record that has the lithe and shadowy promise of the ocean.

Spin Cycle

Much of the Painters’ power stems from Kozelek’s arresting voice, which meets its deep, moody match in the band’s exquisite renderings of rootsy gothic grace.

Pitchfork

Many slower outfits-- Low, American Music Club, Codeine, et al.-- are sometimes pinned with the theory that if you've heard one of their albums, you've heard them all. Such is no longer the case with the Red House Painters.

The Onion (A.V. Club)

While Kozelek consistently sustains beauty that's equal parts stately and awkward, Old Ramon's songs don't quite live up to the career highlights that dominate the warmer Ocean Beach or the more emotionally gripping Red House Painters (the one with the roller-coaster, not the bridge, on its cover). Still, after such a long involuntary hiatus, it's worth the several listens it takes to fully digest Old Ramon.

All Music Guide

The album's long-delayed release only makes its joyous sound that much more refreshing; its inviting mix of gentle and fuzzy guitars and Kozelek's empathetic vocals make it the Painters' most hopeful, accessible work.

Nude As The News

Unlike past efforts, the songs don't overstay their welcome, evoking more smile-enducing moments than one would come to expect from RHP

Neumu.net

Across Old Ramon's sprawling 70-minute set, Kozelek is still a master of his sly charade, disguising sprawling webs of complex guitar chords and considered narratives as humble, simple acoustic ditties.

Launch.com

Wade through a couple of outtake-sounding openers that consist mainly of mechanical strumming on an acoustic 12-string and Kozelek's duo-toned vocals and you'll be rewarded with some of the his most fully realized songs to date.

New Musical Express

They're the sentiments and sounds of West Coast rock becalmed and quietened, stripped of fretwanking excess, and invested with a warmth that transcends cliché. A fortunate, if belated release, and a tragedy averted.

Wall of Sound

It would have been a shame if this album went unheard, as it is the most fully realized Painters album to date and finds the band, as well as Kozelek's songwriting, in peak form.

Splendid

But as wonderful as parts of Old Ramon are, the spaces between the high points are at times, less than impressive.

HOB.com

Emotionally generous to the point of near biography, the Red House Painters win over listeners with their ability to dress even the most depressing song in lyrical warmth...

Q Magazine

Kozelek's less-than-euphoric vocals become wearying after a few tracks, though the band shuffle basic resources with some brio. Worth the wait, but only just.

Dot Music

'Old Ramon' is a slight affair cut from similar cloth to '...Blue Guitar', fuzzy with distortion, hampered by less than inspirational songwriting.

The average user rating for this album is 9.0 (out of 10) based on 11 User Votes
Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.

paul k gave it a7:
While one great song does not a great album make, the purchase price is covered by the poignant and beautiful SMOKEY. We also get a MBV wokout with Between Days, Americana can can with Michigan and an ode to a Feline Furball in Wop a din din. Some others might overstay their welcome (River, Void, Cruiser) but as with all RHP releases even those not quite hitting the water-mark still can float most peoples boat!

TJ S gave it a10:
Listening to cruiser, you could feel yourself flying away, as LA sparkles on the ground. Classic, perfect, true.

Sheridan L gave it a 10:
When I hear the music in the top 20 etc. I could cry. I think of the beauty of the Red House Painters - and then I don't feel so bad. They are superb.

Luke C gave it an 8:
A beautiful album ("Cruiser" being the only musically weak track on here), but the Painters have done much better. Check out "Rollercoaster" for what a 10 sounds like.

Chad H. gave it a 9:
a wonderfully sad and heart-breakingly sweet album, the red house painters have been a comfort on many drunken lonely nights

Matt D gave it a 9:
Not the best Red House Painters cd, but a great place to start if you haven't heard of them; 'Byrd Joel' and 'Void' are incredible songs not just for RHP, but as far as any music out there now; buy it- give it a few listens and you'll understand what the hype has been concerning this band.

Brian L. gave it a 10:
Amazing record - one weak track - the last one.

Old Ramon by Red House Painters

Old Ramon
by Red House Painters