“House of Jealous Lovers” – The Rapture
(Words/music: The Rapture, available on Echoes, Strummer / Universal 2003)

I’m not a particularly visual person normally, but “House of Jealous Lovers” makes me think of lines with steep angles.  The guitars sound like they stop, pivot, and head in a different direction with every note, and even though the riff isn’t too complex (at least in terms of the amount of notes), it makes the guitar line sound worlds different.  It’s the kind of thing that I like listening to if I want to aggressively air strum along with my thumb as I’m walking.  

Still, maybe because it’s sounds like it looks jagged, I’ve always imagined the song as having a thorny exterior.  I’ve always liked the song – I even bought the 12” single at one point – yet it’s hard for me to say that I have a real emotional or visceral reaction to it.  Maybe it’s because I never lived in New York (especially New York during this dance punk revival) nor can I remember any occasion where “House of Jealous Lovers” brought a party to that elusive “next level.”  Instead, it’s a collection of sounds – that start-stop riff, that deliberate cowbell, and the wild shouting – that sound exciting.  It’s not that I dislike the song – it does all of these things well, and on the right moments, it feels perfect.  “Moment” best fits it, for better or worse; when the song’s over, it washes away almost instantly.  Perhaps this is the result of too many playlists put on shuffle, but I can’t help but come back to my concept of the song as a sort of sonic porcupine.  Perhaps it’s the same jagged riff that looks interesting in the first place that prevents me from wrapping my arms around it and putting part of myself into it.  Instead, it makes for a few good minutes of an elevated heart rate – and there’s nothing wrong with that.  Nonetheless, I’m still curious why it’s kept me at arm’s length.

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