Four guys, all playing their instruments as if they were leads. It doesn’t work very often, but goddamn does it work here. Nobody’s been able to pull this off so well since Joy Division. And they didn’t even have a cowbell.
-- Andrew Unterberger, Stylus, "Perfect Moments in Pop." 2004-04-15
There's really no time to do this song justice, so I'll just have to give it to you straight. House of Jealous Lovers is such a good song it ought to be on every music nut's Must Play list, and ought to come pre-loaded on every iPod. Indie band The Rapture is a group completely unknown to me and probably to you as well, but they sure kicked out the jams with this one.
It’s the apex of The Rapture’s career. They’ll never top or even meet this again.
-- Unterberger, ibid
WOXY Radio, the Internet radio station, introduced this little gem to me just today. Since the first time, when it grabbed me by the (something) so hard it rendered breathing impossible, I've listened to it perhaps another dozen times and still can't get enough of it. The production value is raw: it sounds like it was made in a garage at a huge high school party. Check that, college party. Check that, some obscure band for Lollapalooza, the kinda concert where you come home and all you can talk about is the opening act, because it was so much better than the supergroup you really came there to see.
Lots of garage-band screaming, lots of infectious bass-slapping, lots of hypnotic rimshot drumming. Can you not tap your feet? Bet you can't. Impossible. It's also impossible to hear this song just once. As soon as you hear it, you need to hear it again. I'll betcha. How much do you want to bet? A week's paycheck? The use of your girlfriend for a weekend? I'm that confident. (Hey I'm only kidding about that girlfriend of yours. She's nasty.)
Gang of Four. Duran Duran. Happy Mondays. Public Image Ltd. Yeah, they’re all there. Reference points don’t even matter, though. Anybody who says that The Rapture is nothing more than a rip-off band must be too jaded to be excited by music anymore. This is music for right now and not any other point in history. This is music for me. This is my band. This is my song.
-- Unterberger, ibid
it's got this totally frenetic energy...you just can't sit still when you hear it.
-- mad girls love song
It's been remixed a number of times, but make sure you listen to the original, a 12 inch vinyl version.
most people think no one makes vinyl records anymore, but they do. if you're interested in getting a copy on vinyl, go to eil.com and search the rapture. eil is a great site. ridiculously expensive at times but ... (it's there)... if you can't find what you're looking for on eBay, cheaper
-- mad girls love song
You can get it in MP3 format and you can get HOJL as a ringtone. Just get it. You won't be sorry.
- Best place to listen to it is at Epitonic: click here.
- http://www.stylusmagazine.com/feature.php?ID=944
- http://www.mp3int.com/eng/download_mp3/153306/8569182/The_Rapture_House_Of_Jealous_Lovers/
- http://magnumjunior.free.fr/Musique/the%20rapture-echoes-06-house%20of%20jealous%20lovers.mp3
- http://www.nme.com/features/104617.htm
PEE ESS: If you liked this, then you'll like...
This song has been a fixture on the independent music scene for the past few years. It's so good. If you like it, you should give LCD Soundsystem a try; I recommend finding Daft Punk is playing at My House by them.
-- 18thCandidate
yeah, it's on their album Echoes. great album. my favorite track is "Heaven," which you might really like too. And if you like The Rapture, you might also want to check out the
Liars , or at least the album linked. very much the same sort of dance punk (though I think the Liars do it with a bit more funk and swing).
-- Mercury Turrent