I Am The Greatest
	(Setanta/LP/CD)
	Graham Linehan

A year ago, A House looked like any other washed-up Dublin band. After two disastrous LPs and several gigs that looked like they were trying to jump several bandwagons at once, they seemed like a disaster waiting to happen again and again. Wronggg. 'I Am The Greatest' is brave, snotty, loving, tuneful, abrasive, shitty, everything. The egotistical hosanna of that title isn't the half of it. A House are three people whose absolute belief in themselves has at last been justified. Maybe it's Edwyn Collins' production, but there's a new element to these songs. They're revelling in the ugly beauty of Dave Couse's snarling vocals and Ferg Bunberry's cheesegrater guitar rather than hiding it. Listen to Dave's tuneless, heartbreaking caterwaul on 'When I First Saw You' and you'll understand. Am Afraid' is a tiny, rotating music-box, powered by Ferg's gentle guitar lines; 'Endless Art' rips off Monty Python's 'Decomposing Composers' and somehow still comes out smelling of lemons; and the title track has a tune you'd wrestle your mother for. And the other songs are better. A House are back in the ring. About time too.