Like all the best Belgian rock bands, dEUS come from Flanders (Antwerp). Sorry Brussels, you're OK but you don't rock like your northern neighbors do! Maybe it's a language thing: English comes more naturally to the Flemish Dutch speakers while French speaking Walloons prefer to sing in their own language, which hardly lends itself to rock and roll. But the lingual division of this country is deeper than that and permeates all aspects of culture, to the point of making one wonder if a Belgian nation even exists at all. Hmmm...on second thought, better to avoid this discussion and return to dEUS. I've been aware of them from the beginning, some of their grungier early efforts found themselves in cassettes we exchanged with friends during the early 90's. But something about them struck me as too intellectual or experimental, so while I appreciated their albums, I was never completely won over by them. Thankfully they were always very good live, and I got to see them on many occasions when they visited Athens. I'll never forget their appearance at the Rockwave festival of '99: They were playing at dusk, next to a crane from the top of which fans were bungee jumping. While they played "Suds 'n' Soda" one bungee jumper froze on top of the crane and the band stopped the song and led the audience in chants of "Jump!". The moment he jumped the guitar player launched into an amazing solo, one of the highlights of one of the best rock festivals in Greece. Anyway, I have to admit that when "Pocket Revolution" came out in 2005, I already thought of dEUS as 90's indie, a thing of the past. But a friend did get their album and I duly borrowed and copied it. I've since bought the original CD (I don't present CD-R's here), so I guess I must like it. I'll tell you what: Critics will favor their more experimental 90's albums, but for me this is their best outing. If you want an analogy, imagine Radiohead following Kid A with The Bends: It's still an interesting mix of grunge, pop, free jazz, krautrock and everything in between, but the wild inspirations are streamlined into something more disciplined and accessible. It's at the same time more melodic, funkier and harder-rocking than its predecessors and totally devoid of experimental filler - every song stands by itself and is worthy of radio play. Opener "Bad Timing" is a great introduction: loud and distorted guitars, resounding bass and melodic vocals would make for a, typically dEUS, classic single. The actual lead single "7 Days 7 Weeks" shows how much the band has progressed: A bassline that reminds me of Can's Vitamin C provides the bedrock for a floating vocal every bit as luring as the latest multi-million selling Coldplay hit. "Stop-Start Nature" and "If You Don't Get What You Want" are throwbacks to their 90's sound, all grungy guitars and subterranean bass. "What We Talk About (When We Talk About Love)" has a repetitive slow chugging rhythm but the best part is all the different vocal styles employed here: Some verses are almost recited J.J.Cale-style, some sport soulful harmonies, and there are also some deeply buried female backing vocals. "Include Me Out" and "The Real Sugar" are a couple of beautiful jazzy ballads punctuated by Klaas Janzoons' violin. "Pocket Revolution" also starts off slowly, with a violin melody, whispering vocal and low bassline. Then it breaks into a loud chorus, giving me the impression of the Smashing Pumpkins gatecrashing a Massive Attack ballad. "Nightshopping" must be dEUS' funkiest song yet, like a theme song to a Blaxploitation James Bond movie made by an arty film school student. "Cold Sun Of Circumstance" and "Sun Ra" are a couple of loud art-punk pieces. Captain Beefheart meet Sonic Youth would be one (albeit insufficient) way to describe them. Emotive ballad "Nothing Really Ends" closes the album in the best manner: soaring violin, jazzy xylophone and piano, syrupy female backing vocals out of a 60's French pop hit. An honest, irony-free, love song from a band whose only flaw is that they too often write from the brain instead of the heart.
***** for The Real Sugar
**** for Bad Timing, 7 Days, 7 Weeks, Stop-Start Nature, What We Talk About (When We Talk About Love), Include Me Out, Pocket Revolution, Nightshopping, Nothing Really Ends
*** for Cold Sun Of Circumstance, If You Don't Get What You Want, Sun Ra
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