Pocket Revolution Burnt

Album Review

Since nearly seven years had passed since dEus had issued an album (The Ideal Crash dropped in 1999, and it wasn't exactly easy to locate in the U.S.), it was certainly understandable for fans to figure that the band had quietly packed it in. This proved not to be the case, though, as longtime members Tom Barman (vocals, guitar) and Klaas Janzoons (violin, keyboards) assembled a whole new dEus lineup, which includes former members of Soulwax and Chris Whitley's band. Pocket Revolution finally arrived in 2006 (the album was first made available in 2005 as an import, however), and once more, the group offers an album that refuses to be pinned down to a single style. It's easy to pick out modern-day bands which sound comparable, such as the Coldplay-ish "7 Days, 7 Weeks" and the Eels-ish "If You Don't Get What You Want," but dEus has been around a heck of a lot longer. Other standouts include the title track, which alternates between calm verses and a grandiose choruses, as well as a tribute to jazz visionary Sun Ra titled, uh, "Sun Ra." Despite the extended break between albums, dEus picks up right where they left off with Pocket Revolution. [The 2006 V2 International edition includes five bonus tracks.]