Neighborhoods (Ernest Hood album)

Neighborhoods
Studio album by Ernest Hood
Released	1975
Genre	Ambient[1] avant-garde[1] field recordings[2]
Length	55:02
Label	Thistlefield

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[1]
The A.V. Club	A−[3]
The Attic	[4]
Mojo	[5]
Pitchfork	8.4/10[6]

Neighborhoods is the only studio album from American musician Ernest Hood, self-released in 1975.[7][8][4] It is a work of ambient music that explores the soundscapes of Portland, Oregon suburbia through a collage of field recordings layered with Hood's zither and synthesizer melodies.[2][9][10][11] Only one thousand copies were pressed during its original production run. After remaining in obscurity for over 40 years, it was reissued by Freedom to Spend in 2019.[12]

Background

Ernest Hood was born in 1923.[6] He was a jazz guitarist in the Portland, Oregon area in the 1940s.[8][12] He played with his brother Bill and saxophonist Charlie Barnet.[8] Hood contracted polio in the 1950s, which confined him to using a wheelchair for the rest of his life.[8][6] As he could no longer hold a guitar, he started playing the zither.[6] He played zither on some of Flora Purim's early albums.[6]

Production

The album was largely composed with zithers and the Roland SH-3A synthesizer.[12]

Track listing

Side one

No.	Title	Length
1.	"Saturday Morning Doze"	7:15
2.	"At The Store"	6:21
3.	"August Haze"	8:00
4.	"The Secret Place"	4:30
Total length:		26:06

Side two

No.	Title	Length
1.	"After School"	11:00
2.	"Gloaming"	7:20
3.	"From The Bluff"	6:23
4.	"Night Games"	4:13
Total length:		28:56

Personnel

• Ernest Hood – Zithers, keyboards, sounds
• Russ Gorsline – Mixing

References

1. Simpson, Paul. "Neighborhoods - Ernest Hood". AllMusic. Archived from the original on October 8, 2020. Retrieved October 8, 2020.
2. Poscic, Antonio (November 26, 2019). "Reviews | Ernest Hood". The Quietus. Archived from the original on October 8, 2020. Retrieved October 8, 2020.
3. Sartini Garner, Marty (October 10, 2019). "Before Brian Eno made Music For Airports, Ernest Hood made music for Neighborhoods". The A.V. Club. Archived from the original on November 20, 2019. Retrieved October 8, 2020.
4. Jackson, Sam George (January 25, 2018). "Ernest Hood - Neighborhoods". The Attic. Archived from the original on October 8, 2020. Retrieved October 8, 2020.
5. Male, Andrew (January 2020). "Filter Reissues: Neighborhoods". Mojo. p. 101.
6. Beta, Andy (October 16, 2019). "Ernest Hood: Neighborhoods". Pitchfork. Archived from the original on October 18, 2019. Retrieved October 8, 2020.
7. Smith, Ernie (February 13, 2018). "Neighborhoods by Ernest Hood: A Private Press Masterpiece". Tedium: The Dull Side of the Internet. Archived from the original on February 7, 2020. Retrieved October 8, 2020.
8. Gordon, Lewis (October 18, 2019). "Review: Ernest Hood - Neighborhoods". Resident Advisor. Archived from the original on November 12, 2019. Retrieved October 8, 2020.
9. Bromfield, Daniel (October 21, 2019). "Ernest Hood: Neighborhoods". Spectrum Culture. Archived from the original on December 10, 2019. Retrieved October 8, 2020.
10. Barrons, Ethan J. (November 3, 2019). "Review: Ernest Hood — 'Neighborhoods'". NorthWest Music Scene. Archived from the original on November 5, 2019. Retrieved October 8, 2020.
11. Reynolds, Simon (November 5, 2019). "Ambient Music Started as an Ode to the Suburbs". The Nation.
12. Bromfield, Daniel (October 8, 2019). "More than 40 Years After it Was Recorded, an Obscure Portland Jazz Classic Gets its First Wide Release". Willamette Week. Archived from the original on October 9, 2019. Retrieved October 8, 2020.

External links

• Neighborhoods at Discogs