IN A BAR, UNDER THE SEA

The second album from this Antwerp band was still released on Namur-based label Bang! and it came as major confirmation for both. Many singles were issued from this album all of them gaining major continental airplay and healthy sales to match it. From a personal point of view this is maybe my fave album of theirs and also maybe the most progressive of them, too regardless of the commercial success it had. The artwork is again from Trouvé.

One of the major changes from the debut album is that this one has a more Frank Zappa feeling somewhere between some Captain Beefheart and Red Hot Chilly Peppers with great ambiances, unusual twists sometime hypnotic and almost Beefhearty vocals laced with minimalist rythms (Themes From The Turnpike - one of their "hits" - or A Shocking Lack Of Thereof) and Radiohead-styled tunes (as Little Arithmetics - another hit) or jazzy Nine Threads and Zappa-esque Supermarketsong (a bit of GonG zaniness) or punky Memory Of a Festival. Guilty Pleasures (yet another hit but less successful than others on this album) has some great violin work that can remind you of Caravan's Geoff Richardson. For The Roses is another highlight with the great cello lines underlining the slowly increasing tempo up to an awesome climax. The album ends on aptly titled Before I Sleep track.

The album is more dominated by Tom barman than the debut although Stef "Kamiel" holds his own too. While a more exciting album this is , dEUS is one of those intelligent alternative rock groups that found its place on our Archives, I still would not recommend this album unless you have a strong interest/affinity in other such bands.

dEUS are obviously influenced by (among others) Captain Beefheart, Tom Waits and a whole load of grunge bands, but the combination of Klaas Janszoon's minimalist violin playing and the rest of the band's aggressive (by no means simplistic) riffing inevitably recalls David Cross-era King Crimson.

I am convinced that any admirer of Crimso's darker, heavier compositions will love this album, which will probably be admired by ANYONE of an adventurous and truly progressive mindbent, as it is one of the most varied and colourful albums of the 1990s.

dEUS have triumphed throughout continental Europe, but since they hail from a small (and supposedly boring) country like Belgium, they've never cracked the British market, probably because they are simply too weird. (Their vocalist sounds vaguely American but no-one has any idea what he looks like; no-one knows if the band are truly working class, as 'proper' rock 'n' rollers are supposed to be; and dEUS have never recorded the kind of 'anthem' that could be bellowed out by the crowd at Glastonbury.)

Finally, let's not forget this album contains several tunes so beautiful and pure that you won't easily forget them, such as 'Little Arithmetics', 'Guilty Pleasures' and 'For the Roses'. Furthermore, 'Disappointed in the Sun' is the kind of sad ballad any band in the world would be proud of.

There is a used record store in our town in the neighborhood of four colleges that are spread out along 26th Street. It’s a great place to troll for cheap deals on decent CDs, and I’ve picked up some good stuff that way. The thing is, most of it I would classify as either grunge or college radio indie rock with the progressive stuff leaning heavily toward metal or psychedelic. That’s where I found dEUS, and I would have to say this band leans pretty far toward both of these genres. Stuff like the ever-present beatbox, shout-out vocals, spoken-word ramblings, and occasional guitar-drum rants pretty much confirm this.

These guys must have a lot of obvious influences, from Dead Milkmen to Nirvana to Captain Beefheart to probably even Primus. This is a fun album to listen to if you don’t take it too seriously.

After the opening “I Don't Mind What Ever Happens” comes “Fell off the Floor, Man”, with lyrics about as meaningful and serious as the song’s title –

“Rub a dub a tub fish – ping pong… Trimming off my nostril hairs – headcase… Smuggling a wombat…”

This has a catchy bass line and plenty of percussion, making it I imagine a good party tune, but runs on a bit too long for my tastes.

By contrast “Opening Night” is a quick blast, with nonsensical lyrics about what I’m not sure – maybe coming out or something, who knows.

“Theme from Turnpike” is another funk-influenced number, this one a bit less embellished with more silly lyrics but again a good party dance tune.

“Little Arithmetics” has a mellow Hammond and guitar rhythm and smooth lyrics and all the earmarks of a hit single, which I guess this was somewhere, but not around here. The chaos dirge toward the end even has a sort of melodic feel to it. This is a pleasant enough listen – again, if you aren’t looking for the meaning of life in the words or anything. “Gimme the Heat” hearkens back to “Fell Off…” a bit, but wanders on entirely too long at nearly eight minutes.

The minimalist “Serpentine” has a very 90s feel and seems a bit puerile with plucked violin ala eighth-grade orchestra and chanted timing. Nothing special.

By the time “A Shocking Lack Thereof” rolls around there seems to be a fairly predictable pattern to the music, if random, incomplete thoughts can be described as a pattern. Some doctored vocals, backed by a falsetto, and more minimal sounds punctuated by the occasional guitar blast to keep the listener awake.

A couple shorter works with a bit of saxophone and sprinkled with a few obscenities that remind me a bit of some of the more lipstick latter punk or unconvincing grunge of the early 90s.

“Guilty Pleasures” is one of the few songs here that is rather short on lyrics, but not much in terms of musical arrangements either, more just a repetitive riff punctuated by sparse drums tracks and moody spoken-word ramblings.

The start of “Nine Threads” sounds like a smooth jazz number, which is a bit jarring considering what has come before it. I can’t help but think of Harry Nilsson when I hear the vocals, but the snare, keyboards and brass are more like a cheesy lounge act.

“Disappointed In The Sun” and “For the Roses” would seem like attempts at some post- rock mood music if it weren’t for the vocals, which are closer to scruff rock, repetitive and wrapped in screeching guitar and simple beats.

The closing “Wake Me Up Before I Sleep” is pure indie, Leonard Cohen meets Ben Folds Five cum Warren Zevon. A mellow end to a largely inconsequential album.

This is an okay piece of music, a decent listen while reading a book or sitting around in the back yard on a lazy day, but something that won’t stand the test of time, as evidenced that I bought it for $7 USD, only to find I could have bought it new off Amazon for only a dollar more. Three stars is a very noncommittal rating, and appropriate.

peace

At the time of writing, this album scored 3.4 ... "Good, but not essential" it says.

Okay. So it's not an essential item if you were compiling the ultimate prog-rock collection ... but it is not essentially a prog-rock album. Not to me at least.

What I would like to say, whatever genre it might be, is that 'In A Bar Under The Sea' is an essential of modern music and an amazing album. It never fails to move me.

PS. The beauty of the album and the treasures which reside therein, might not be apparent straight away. Give it time.

These fellow countrymen are difficult to catalogue. Avant-garde is probably the best definition of their style. At times, they sound pretty weird, and their sound would probably upset more than one listener (including myself).

This album is not very accessible. The funky-grunge "Fell Off The Floor, Man" not being especially my cup of tea. In terms of gloomy atmosphere, almost decadent I should say (very much in the "Antwerpen" style), "Theme From Turnpike" gets the "Palme D'Or". Almost improvised music. Directionless.

In terms of direction, "Little Arithmetics" is heading a totally different style. More intimate, joyful mood for most of it, it only gets crazier during the last minute. One of my preferred song from "In A Bar.".

This incursion into another "dEUS" facet was short. Tom Barman brings us quickly with his dark and serious style yet again with the languishing "Gimme The Heat". A pretty dark affair, indeed. It has the cold beauty of some "Anekdoten" songs. The backing violin play adds so much to this great track. Another highlight. Which is not the case for the weird (to say the least) "A Shocking Lack Thereol".

Next good track is the punkish "Memory Of A Festival". Superb beat, great to pogo dance. Catchy melody, this pop song is amazingly upbeat. I'm not sure that it fails under the prog category (it doesn't at all of course), so if you are a proghead purist, you have been warned.

If ever "Nirvana" ("For The Roses") and "Anekdoten" (not to mention Crimson of course) are in the list of your favourite bands, you might well check out for "dEUS". Their music is diverse, dark, bizarre. Original and different. But several noisy moments might well be irritating at the end of the day ("Guilty Pleasures").

This album is maybe a bit too long to listen to it from start to finish too often. The piano bar mood for the jazzy and groovy "Nine Threads". As well as the stripped of "Disappointed In The Sun" which only starts at half time to turn into one of the best songs from this offering.

If you appreciate the mood of Berlin (Lou Reed), you should be receptive to the closing Wake Me Up Before I Sleep.

Three stars for "In A Bar.". The second opus from Tom . Barman.

dEUS is Belgium's most acclaimed indie band. 'Indie' meaning something entirely different here then the smooth pop of Muse or Oasis. dEUS is a very adventures band that incorporates simply anything that will work in a song, sometimes that is indie avant-garde, punk, jazzy synths, scruffy Captain Beefheart vocals or experimental noise rock, at other times it's simply blues or a ballad à la Tom Waits.

Even with all diversity this is one of dEUS most consistent efforts with too many songs and too many highlights for an in-depth song by song review, but let me at least mention the crazy avant rock of Fell of The Floor Man, one of their best songs, also the cinematic Theme from Turnpike is a little masterpiece, with very prominent Tom Waits "kettle-music" influences. Also the more mainstream tracks like Little Arithmetics and For the Roses are songwriting marvels. And if you dig a bit of soothing lounge jazz then Nine Threads should do the trick. It's only a short selection out of a 15 song adventure.

In a Bar Under the Sea is the ultimate dEUS album, it's wild, adventurous, willful, and rough, but at the same time it's catchy and fun. For melodic Prog fans this will be a most challenging listen, but if you dig the wilder side of Prog as evident in kraut rock, eclectic prog or avant, you might end up with a surprise.