Best of: House of Love

"I Don't Know Why I Love You," from the House of Love's second self-titled album, was the kind of swirling, pounding, hooky noise that could have been produced in 1968, 1981, or 1990, which is when it actually appeared. A guitar-drenched gloss on the Psychedelic Furs' Talk Talk Talk, right down to the "Pretty in Pink" melodic quote near the end, it also assayed that record's delirious ambiguity: "Your face is a foreign food / I really don't know if I should." This generous (15 cuts) collection brings together that high mark with other classics by the Guy Chadwick-led band, including "Christine," "Shine On," "Beatles and the Stones," and "You Don't Understand." Even more valuable with some of the original albums out of print in America, this is a remembrance of a vital, sadly unsung act. --Rickey Wright