Product Description

DEUS's 2nd album starts with a :46 second blues song that could be a Robert Johnson b-side. From there, the Belgian avant-garde rock quintet careen from eclectic noise to haunting, beautiful pop, touching on virtually every style in between. Produced by Eric Drew Feldman (PJ Harvey keyboard player and onetime member of Captain Beefheart's Magic Band), this album contains at least 3 radio-friendly tracks: "Roses" and "Fell Off the Floor" are rocking alternative cuts, while "Little Arithmetics" has all the markings of a pop smash.

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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

• Is Discontinued By Manufacturer ‏ : ‎ No
• Language ‏ : ‎ English
• Product Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 4.92 x 5.55 x 0.47 inches; 3.6 ounces
• Manufacturer ‏ : ‎ Island Uk
• Original Release Date ‏ : ‎ 1997
• SPARS Code ‏ : ‎ DDD
• Date First Available ‏ : ‎ November 1, 2006
• Label ‏ : ‎ Island Uk
• Number of discs ‏ : ‎ 1