Albums by this artist

In A Bar, Under The Sea (1996)

Deus

In A Bar, Under The Sea

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» BEN FRENCH | CO-DIRECTOR

Deus In A Bar, Under The Sea Island, 1996 RiYL: Frank Zappa, Dismemberment Plan, Captain Beefheart

Deus comes off as a collage of sounds. Maybe it's more like a mixture: One pound Jon Spencer Blues Explosion, a tablespoon Too Much Joy, a touch of Soul Coughing and a hunk of something just a little less interesting.

A good start, no doubt.

The band's strengths -- as shown on In A Bar, Under The Sea -- revolve around suave production techniques that highlight the guitar lines of songwriters Tom Barman and Craig Ward. The pair create a sound akin to a new-age Velvet Underground with an obvious devotion to creative song structure. The semi-clever lyrics serve as a backdrop to the randomly mixed instrumentation, which inevitably builds to a thick crescendo.

Deus is not afraid to experiment and reaps the benefits of open-mindedness when it blends an array of genres from song to song, moving from electric-rock pop to New York cool-school jazz to alterna-balladry in mere minutes.

Though the album is not for everyone, its varied sampling offers a little something very unlike the mishmash of manure on the popular radio waves.

BEN FRENCH | Ben founded NATN in the winter of 1998-1999 with fellow IU alums Troy Carpenter and Jonathan Cohen. During the day time, he's working for Nielsen Business Media, publisher of Billboard. Ben's favorite acts include Bruce Springsteen, The Clash, Sonic Youth, Elvis Costello, Talking Heads, Rolling Stones, and the Beach Boys.