“Jack’s House” from New Zealand’s Ingrid and the Ministers has all the raw energy and poignant lyrics you could ask for in a politically charged protest anthem. Ingrid wastes no time getting down to brass tacks with her opening line blasted with drive and compression acting as the starting gun to a racing blues-tinged rock and roll lead guitar introduction. As the song settles into the verse the rhythm section holds together as the two guitars bounce off of each other in a distorted stereo bliss. Lyrically, the song follows the form of the old nursery rhyme “The House that Jack Built” which utilizes a repetition that really hammers on the connections of corruption made thematic throughout the tune. It all lands in a searing guitar solo into a dual guitar outro with some serious ZZ Top energy.
“This was a tough song to convince the band to play. Kim, our drummer, especially didn’t like the idea of singing about a dead baby. It was only after several rehearsals when the form was finally nailed that she said kinda sheepishly that it was now her favorite song and that the meaning had sunk in.”
