She Paints Words In Red

The House of Love was always slightly out of fashion. Its beautiful jangles back in the late '80s sounded as if the band were retracing the steps that The Smiths had put down just a few years earlier. The House of Love played through the early '90s as if grunge wasn't happening before breaking up for good—so it was thought. But The House of Love re-emerged in the mid-'00s with the encouraging Days Run Away, where the reverb was pulled back and the songs came into glorious focus. Having taken their time again, Guy Chadwick and Terry Bickers return with another gorgeous collection that sounds as if it could be from the mid-'80s. The guitars continue to shimmer and shake. The vocals create an atmospheric aura, and songs like the title track, "Hemingway," and "PKR" immediately establish a dreamlike cycle where melody remains more important than a flashy attitude or an aggressive drum groove (though "PKR" makes excellent use of drummer Pete Evans for its rousing conclusion). "Lost in the Blues" sends guitar chords off into the clouds. A beautiful and timeless album.