Although perhaps not as immediate as the charismatic swagger of "Love You Too Much", "Gotta Be That Way" is nonetheless a second slice of loveliness cut with neat heartbreak from THE HOUSE OF LOVE'S excellent comeback album "Days Run Away."
This time, the HOL come armed with tremulous, close-miked harmonies from Guy Chadwick and Terry Bickers, while the latter's deep brown baritone guitar runs fence with Pete Evans' and Matt Jury's always-supple rhythm section to create something typically mouth-watering. It's tinged with the HOL'S inevitably dreamy sadness and has all the hallmarks of a classic once again.
Also included is a Mogwai remix, which sounds intrigiuing on paper, but in reality adds very little. Stu and co retain the scribbed acoustic guitar, but slow the remainder to funereal dirge pace, while twinkly, fairy light keyboards and Gregorian chant dub harmonies enter from stage left. It's not unpleasant, but hardly essential, either: a criticism you could also level at the closing live version of classic early HOL set-piece "Love In A Car", which can still sound spectrally captivating on a good night, but clearly wasn't at London's ICA back in February. Oh well.
|
But it's "Gotta Be That Way" we're concentrating on here, and it's further justification - if more were needed - that The House Of Love's reformation is one of the few genuinely creative, credible reunions to have darkened our doorsteps. Fingers crossed relations between Messrs. Chadwick and Bickers continue to remain cordial for the forseeable.
|
