For some reason it was just never going to happen for the House of Love. Stuck in a period that was characterised by a tranche of scenes such as madchester, grunge and shoegaze the House of Love never quite fitted in. It was probably more an indictment of the scene hoppers of the time though because the HOL wrote some of the most perfect indie pop tunes of the late 80’s/early 90’s. Their back catalogue has aged remarkably well and much of the credit must go down to Guy Chadwick’s pristine sense of melody. Chadwick was a constant throughout whereas beside him a revolving door of new guitarists put their jangling mark on several of the bands albums. Of those Terry Bickers was probably be the most prolific and although he jumped ship in late 1989 he made a surprising return for the band’s reunion on 2005’s ‘Days Run Away’. ‘Babe Rainbow’ is probably my favourite HOL album, although not as universally strong as their eponymous of 1990 it contains the most effervescent singles imaginable and I find myself constantly returning to it. A fine example is ‘Crush Me’, a subtle drift of understated melodies all coaxed along by Chadwick’s softly delivered vocals. Some people had the Beatles, others the Stones but a select few find it hard to look beyond the House of Love. KD

The House of Love - Crush Me

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More Info: Official & Myspace
Buy Songs: The House of Love
Year: 1992