A House was, in their words, "formed from the ashes of a dream" in Dublin, Ireland. They have acheived critical acclaim and a huge loyal fanbase throughout Ireland and Great Britain (they won the 1995 Hot Press Critics Award for best single and video) and the good word is spreading across the waters in ever increasing waves.

Since their conception, A House has been carving out "good songs," ripe with lush, soul-baring conviction and intensely moving fervor. From their debut album On Our Big Fat Merry Go Round, which spawned major hits like "Call Me Blue," to their second album I Want Too Much on Sire Records, A House have been perpetually evolving and adamantly refusing to sit still. Finetuning their course, the band hooked up with ex-Orange Juice frontman, Edwyn Collins to creat the album I Am the Greatest on Radioactive.

1995 sees A House continuing on this path with Wide Eyed and Ignorant. Again strewn with an erratic sampling of Couse and mates' sharp wit and dedicated pop structures, it also introduces us to yet another side of the band.

"With this album, we introduced strings and brass and all that kind of thing. On a song called 'These Things' we have a musical saw!" declares Couse. "I wanted to work with real string sections. I didn't want to use any computers. They obviously simulate sounds really well, but I like real players because they make mistakes, and I like mistakes. That's what sets it apart. All the strings and brass and that kind of thing. And the songs are a bit more.... I don't know... if I say 'mature' it's going to sound ridiculous.' He catches himself, "Jesus, that's a horrible line."

Ultimately, however, it's Couse's twisted lyrics and matter-of-fact vocal delivery that give A House its unique sound. On Wide Eyed and Ignorant, the singer goes from talking his way through the one-take 'Why Me" in which he ponders life away, to a glorious sing along chorus in "Everything I Am," to the tongue in cheek pleas of warning in the first single, "The Strong and the Silent" to the R'n'R anthem (and UK top 40 single) "Here Come the Good Times." Wide Eyed and Ignorant, produced by Edwyn Collins (Orange Juice), Phil Thornally (The Cure) and Langer/Winstanley (David Bowie, Elvis Costello), is a "first listen" kind of record, full of hooks, an expansive sound and the A House charm of intelligent witty lyrics laced with irony.