Saturday, May 2, 2015

Underrated Classic: The House of Love

Creation Records boomed in the 1980's. Alan McGee's label which crafted the careers of My Bloody Valentine, Teenage Fanclub, Primal Scream, A Certain Ratio, Guided By Voices and later Oasis, along with Factory Records, were the independent labels of the 1980's that helped define the post-punk and new wave sound and usher in the Britpop era of the 1990's. One of the most underrated Creation bands were The House of Love. The London band, who formed in 1986 and before they signed to Creation to release their self-titled debut, founding member Andrea Heukamp departed the group which created a bit of confusion and tension in the songwriting. The debut was recorded over a week on LSD induced sessions and it is a dream pop / shoegaze adventure that doesn't get enough attention and love. The House of Love would go on and split in 1993 and then reunite in 2005, but after six records, nothing would hold up as strong as their fantastic debut. Now, in an era of musical experimentation, The House of Love and that debut gain much respect for ushering in and influencing the dream pop bands of today. Nearly 30 years after it's release, this record still sounds as fresh and focused as it did back then.