I Am The Greatest
	(Setanta/LP/CD)
	Lea Finlay

Last year A House were dropped by East West as yet another Irish band who had failed to become "the new U2". To the band's credit, their reemergence on the small Irish indie Setanta is by far their best effort to date. Edwyn Collins' production places more emphasis on Dave Couse's vocals than on the two major label albums, and though he's no Sinatra his wide Dublin brogue stamps originality on a series of fine pop songs. The two best songs are lyrical lists: 'I Don't Care', on everything irritable to the man such as "journalists, politicians" and "what Sinead had to say"; while the single 'Endless Art' details Couse's dead artistic heroes: "Salvador Dali, Johann Strauss, Richard Strauss, Walt Disney's Mickey Mouse". A House have always had strong songs ('Freak Out', 'Call Me Blue', 'Hay When The Sun Shines') but have never been able to charm. Collins' uncluttered production has given them that fatal attraction.