Artist: Our House
Title: Is Your House
Label: Global Recordings
By: Simon Jones | 13 May 2004
Tracklist:

1. Soliton Wave (Reprise)
2. Shout
3. Fire & Ice
4. Krakatoa
5. Light Source
6. Soliton Wave (Club Mix)
7. Twilight
8. Clearwater
9. Forced
10. Underdog

Our House "Is Your House"

It was eight years ago that Kasey Taylor and Sean Quinn's debut singles as Our House were released on Ugly Bug and Perfecto Records, and since then both have gone to become huge DJs in their native Australia, with Kasey also making an impact on the International circuit with not only his djing but with his label Vapour Recordings. It's hardly surprising that it's taken over half a decade for the Our House album to come to fruition, but with the singles 'Soliton Wave' and 'Fire & Ice' having give us a taste of what to expect, the full album 'Is Your House' is now here.

The 'Reprise' of 'Soliton Wave' opens the album in dramatic fashion. It's a track that is synonymous with Our House, and we are treated to a few minutes of sweeping beats and electronic sounds as it unfolds, hazy beats and soaring hooks, concealing a melody line that cuts through and lures you into the soundscape, into the habitat of Our House. The cover version of the Tears For Fears classic 'Shout', featuring the vocals of former Skunkhour lead singer Aya Larkin is a somewhat odd inclusion, but effective in continuing to lay down the building mood, dark bass complimenting the gritty lyrics, with the track sounding decidedly like something John Graham would do via his Stoneproof project. As the bass fades to reveal a drifting melody, the next layer in the progression of this album begins and the real mind games begin. 'Fire & Ice' takes the mood into lower, trippy melodies, hooks and beats all bubbling within a floating soundscape that draws out each little effect and change with effective results. As the beats multiply, they intensify, each hook creating a tension that is continues to brood during the outstanding 'Krakatoa'. Sonar effects and a mind numbingly hypnotic melody hook will zone you out as dark breakbeats rock through the underlying groove, navigating the spacious terrain and leaving no area uncovered.

'Light Source' takes us back into 4/4 territory, a rippling bassline and hi end snares taking the tempo of the album back up, moving through the epic beats and heavy bass of the club version of 'Soliton Wave', itself sounding as good as it ever did, and onward into the awesome sub bass speaker wrecking monster that is 'Twilight'. The big guns are wheeled out during this final half of the album, as the old classics 'Forced' and 'Clearwater' continue the onslaught, with the last part of the cd taking being a mish mash of driving grooves, big pads and melodies and some killer breakdowns like they just don't make anymore. And just like the cd started out in dramatic fashion, it closes with the epic 'Underdog'. A steamroller of a bassline, awesome layered melody lines and a multitude of drops take the roof off the house to finish, which is in some ways poignant as after six years of developing this project, the time has come for Our House to move to the next level, and break free of their current confines.

An album that's been anticipated for quite a while now, and fans of early classics such as 'Clearwater' and 'Soliton Wave' will no doubt be overjoyed by their inclusion. Overall, the album has a lot of older tracks, and 'Shout' seems slightly out of place although contributes to the overall flow well, but look past those minor flaws, as this is a solid album that makes good listening on speakers or headphones.