This record makes me think about reverb, and I mean that in an ambivalent way. Reverb is often used to develop an atmospheric feeling in more relaxed musical compositions. Like a lot of bands associated with electronica and post-rock, Hood has some really cloudy atmosphere in their music so my association with reverb is not so illogical. You can probably guess what comes with the atmospherics of reverb: lots of resigned sighs drenched in delay, echoing guitar lines, strong simple bass lines, and compressed drums from a Talk Talk record. Things like that, and I like these things most of the time. The electronic edge of the songs also helps maintain the record’s sense of development.

In fact, I think Hood does a really good job of this electronica post-rock mash up thing. The band gets the atmosphere all cloudy and comfortable while mixing things up with glitches, delays, and all the other electronica tricks. The songs are all “soft” yet intriguing and dynamic. And this is an English band, so I guess the thoughtful and effective song structures are expected, right? I’ll admit I couldn’t tell right away, but now I really hear the strong relationship to Radiohead, Oasis, and any other band that you and your mom have heard from 1990’s England. To be fair though, this band has been around that long. They formed in 1990, and they are definitely doing some experimentation dissimilar from those other big groups. So don’t go hating right away.
This album is relaxing, and everyone likes relaxation, it would seem. Hence, the sort of general appeal of this album. But relaxation can lead to depression and some taxing apathy in the long run. Hood’s songs remind me of all this and of an ex-girlfriend who slept too much. Listening to Outside Closer basically feels like walking around the port area of some northern coastal city on a foggy early morning. Or perhaps just walking around in the band’s hometown of Leeds. I’m a bit more comfortable with the first analogy since I have more experience with it, but in any case, I think the band definitely is aware of this feeling, seeing as how they purposefully do not publish lyric sheets. The emphasis seems to be on the atmosphere and texture of the music. You can sort of float around in it.

But it is so bloody dreary.

I know it is silly to dislike music because it is sad or downtrodden, but in this case, it really hurts the replay value for me. I honestly enjoy this album a lot but I simply cannot listen to it that much. It is so melancholic and so resigned that I end up wanting to go hibernate because I start thinking of winter. And that’s not healthy. But everyone liked Radiohead and that band did the same sort of thing for me. So maybe this is a personal issue.

Following a short and extremely spacey introduction, Hood pulls the listener into the album with whirling strings, pacing drums, and ghostly vocals on “The Negatives…,” which kindly brings the listener into the realm of the album. On “Any Hopeful Thoughts Arrive,” the start-stop drums at the beginning, the subdued horns, and the compelling strings at the end persuade the listener to let the music do the thinking. The next two songs slow things down a good deal (and this is about where I start wanting to turn off the lights so I can stare at the wall without being oppressed by illumination). Luckily, the album picks up with the single “The Lost You” and the following “Still Rain Fell” before slowly declining back to its more depressed state, eventually closing with some muffled moaning sounds.

This album is well produced and well structured. It flows rather evenly, and it has a definite feel to it that is both largely derivative yet somehow intriguing. The cloudy album is particularly effective with communicating a sense of relaxed apathy and depression. Whether or not that is a good thing is really up to you.