Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com
Eclecticism is one of the defining characteristics of the current cultural era, but while anyone can slap together a collage, few can unify disparate elements into a whole. About 10 minutes into their second album, In A Bar, Under the Sea, the quintet Deus based in Antwerp, Belgium, settle on a groove so graceful they perform scattered sounds both tastefully and effortlessly. Combining perfect pop and a handful of varied rock flavors with avant jazz and classical touches, Deus offers a consistently excellent stream of music as listener-friendly as it is challenging.
Mind you, it isn't always so cohesive. In A Bar begins with an all-out assault on the senses, a low-fi acoustic blues rant followed by a sampled sound bite advising listeners to "be your own dog," interrupted by a James Brown break beat, invaded by a grunge guitar crunch. Then comes a funk bass and guitar groove, leading into a call-and-response rap/shout with a falsetto soul chorus, and into a middle section of synth dance pop. "Opening Night" overlays two different pop melodies by two very different singers, with guitar and piano lines weaving through. And "Theme from Turnpike" uses a Mingus bass sample, Beefheartian vocals, sound effects, James Bond guitar, horn, and string arrangements, Latin percussion, and free-roaming sax to create something both eerie and warm--not far from Tom Waits at his best.
Keep going and you'll also hear pop punk in "Memory of a Festival" and whispery cabaret jazz in "Nine Threads," set among more typical, playful tunes. But admixing more sounds than can fit into the diminutive kingdom of Belgium, Deus's sum becomes a rich, dynamic chamber music for a postmodern world. --Roni Sarig
Product Description
It's always nice to find an album you can't quite pigeonhole, and dEUS sheds its skin all over the place. There's a bit of Pere Ubu in the band's sound (probably thanks to Ubuman and former Frank Black sidekick Eric Drew Feldman, who produced this record), a touch of Soul Coughing, some balladeering, sad vocals, maudlin music, limber experimental touches... it's a smorgasbord of delights, you fool! Originally released in 1997, features the 15 original tracks. Island. 2005.
In a Bar, Under the Sea,dEUS,Polygram Records,Alternative Pop/Rock,Experimental,Experimental Rock,Neo-Prog,Pop,Popular Music,Rock,Rock/Pop
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