dEUS
In A Bar, Under The Sea

It is very difficult to write about a band that has no equal in my universe, about an album that made me rub my eyes in front of the unpredictability of beauty. It is challenging to sift through the tons of subtle emotions that dEUS, with In A Bar, Under The Sea, have given me; difficult to choose the most evocative ones and put them into words. This is why, before proceeding with the review, I directly recommend listening to it; to anyone.

The quintet from Antwerpen debuted in 1994 with Worst Case Scenario, already showcasing their indefinable rock, the result of a thousand influences (from Velvet Underground to Sonic Youth to R.E.M.) but above all of a completely personal genius.

In A Bar, Under The Sea, two years later, confirms to everyone the promises of the debut. In my opinion, it surpasses them. Tom Barman, the egocentric and delicate leader like his voice, leaves more room for the other geniuses of the group in song-writing, producing a dirty and dazzling variety of styles.

It starts with an absurd, boisterous acoustic piece composed and sung by bassist Stef Kamil Carlens, recorded over the phone (!); transitions to the pop-rock of Little Arythmetics in whose final seconds guitarist Craig Ward unleashes his noise madness; to the hallucinatory and lustful Gimme The Heat (for this song, which - attention - is my all-time favorite, I must thank the visionary Barman himself); to the bizarre and dissonant A Shocking Lack Thereof by violinist Janzoons; to the punk of Memory Of A Festival; to the relaxed jazz of Nine Threads (written by Ward); to the post-grunge of the beautiful Roses.

All held together magically by a taste for invention that - sometimes direct, sometimes subtle - is the signature in all their albums.

It was September 1996. My friend Livio handed me a CD; "you might like it," he said. Well, seven years have passed and I still haven’t found one I like more. 5 stars and praise.