Pocket Revolution

Biography

It’s only a band; remember it’s only a band. So why on earth does the first rumble of Tom Barman’s fragile voice cause the eyes to prickle and form great big tears of relief? Maybe it’s because those who fell so deeply into their world of hotel lounges, Beefheart toms and murderous relationships haven’t dared speak of their absence, simply because it was a loss that was just too keenly felt. Six years since what was thought to be their final album, The Ideal Crash, there is still no one that com...

It’s only a band; remember it’s only a band. So why on earth does the first rumble of Tom Barman’s fragile voice cause the eyes to prickle and form great big tears of relief? Maybe it’s because those who fell so deeply into their world of hotel lounges, Beefheart toms and murderous relationships haven’t dared speak of their absence, simply because it was a loss that was just too keenly felt. Six years since what was thought to be their final album, The Ideal Crash, there is still no one that comes close to the avant-garde, nocturnal journeys of this Belgian behemoth. With the original line-up gone, it’s been left to founding member Barman to surround himself with musicians who have helped him sound more like vintage dEUS. Opener ‘Bad Timing’ happened to be the final song committed to tape whilst recording, yet it’s a natural way to start; reclaiming their fatalistic, sinister sound. In the same way that ‘Roses’ and ‘Suds and Soda’ built into earth shattering melodies that sprinted for the finish line, ‘Bad Timing’ features Barman characteristically holding his vocals back, maintaining a menacingly tuneful huskiness whilst all the dramatics are left to slicing guitars and driving, fuzzed up bass. As The Ideal Crash couched itself in an intricate, serene world, new single ‘7 Days, 7 Weeks’ is its natural successor, with Barman is in advisory mode and the soft, salutary tones being handed gravitas by the soothing female vocals. Long-time friend and frontman Tim Vanhamel adds his sleaze-ridden guitar to ‘If You Don’t Get What You Want’ making it one of the album’s sexiest, openly seductive tracks. It’s hardly as though dEUS have remained in a vacuum. ‘What We Talk About (When We Talk About Love)’ is unsettling and odd, which is to be expected, but equally it’s one of the bluesiest tracks they’ve ever produced. A dubby bass kicks in the vibe of the Velvet Underground re-envisioned by Robert Rodriguez. Most ambitious of all is the gospel exploding title track which brings to mind Greg Dulli’s Twilight Singers as Barman prowls the streets for nourishment, “I’m just a lonely boy/would you keep me company”. As with all great dEUS tracks, there’s a sense that chaos could arrive. Ex-bass player Stef Kamil Carlens re-appears for vocal duties on both ‘Pocket Revolution’ as well as the uplifting ‘Sun Ra’ and there are enough vibraphones, strings and backing vocals to make this album as dense as its predecessors. Closing track ‘Nothing Really Ends’ is a plea for a lover to come back and in its loungey, swish way, Barman croaks desperately, "could it possibly be that you still love me?" Judging by the burning sensation under the eyelids, I think it’s safe to say "yes". Read more on Last.fm. User-contributed text is available under the Creative Commons By-SA License; additional terms may apply.