This Weeks Forgotten Gem of the 80s The House of Loves Love in a Car

I'm the first to admit anytime the subject comes up that I was probably about as far as one could be from being hip to the early alternative/indie sound continuing to emerge out of the U.K. circa 1988. Trapped far too exclusively in a music world (though it seemed kind of wide open at the time) composed mostly of classic rock, hair metal and arena rock, I would have had no idea what to do if exposed to a band like The House of Love at that early point of my rock music education. So perhaps it's just as well that this London outfit remained as alien to me back then as a good, modestly stylish haircut. After all, only years after their peaks did I discover and appreciate the work of such bands as The Jesus and Mary Chain, Psychedelic Furs and Echo & the Bunnymen - all seminal influences on the dreamy, proto-indie rock strains of The House of Love.

I just wasn't ready for it back then, I suppose. And to be honest, my penchant for aggressive rock may never allow me to fully "get" The House of Love's thickly atmospheric pop punctuated by seemingly sedated yet passionate crooning. Nevertheless, I'm stretching here only to make sure I don't forget how to do so in the name of appreciating worthy, complex music. "Love in a Car" did not appear as a single from the band's 1988 debut (the better-known "Christine" made quite a mark as a Top 10 hit on the newly formed U.S. modern rock charts). However, the distinctive vocals of frontman Guy Chadwick and the precise instrumentation of guitarist Terry Bickers set a palpably otherworldly mood on this track that is highly emblematic of what the early lineup of The House of Love was all about. But don't take my word for it; by admission, I'm still at times a bit of an infant - aurally speaking - when it comes to late-'80s early British indie rock. So just sit back and take your own listen to a band making truly unique if not immediately fashionable music during a time not terribly favorable to such musical daring.

• Sample or download "Love in a Car" here.
• Top College Rock Pop Songs of the '80s
• Top Psychedelic Furs Songs of the '80s
• The Church Artist Profile

Album Cover Image Courtesy of Creation