Words: Brian Devereux
Deus, those indie rockers from Belgium, are back with another album, their sixth since their formation twenty years ago. However, Deus have made better albums than Keep You Close and, ultimately, it's not the body of work for which they'll be remembered.
There's nothing outright striking about Keep You Close and nothing to suggest that Tom Barman is anywhere near at the top of his game. This isn't another 'In a Bar, Under the Sea' or anything close and you can only assume that with so many bandmember changes and a several year hiatus, that their sound has been diluted and changed along with the new members.
Keep You Close is a little too honed and not as experimental as their 90's material, giving the listener the impression that no chances were taken with the album and they were content to settle for mediocrity. There are moments of light, though. Tracks like 'Ghost' and 'Twice' are good, but it's hard to put these in comparison to Deus in their heyday.
I wouldn't be the biggest enthusiast for spoken lyrics (unless you're Jim Morrison, that is) but 'The End Romance' seems to work and sticks out from the rest of the tracks on the album. It's atmospheric with calm, soft percussion and soft keyboard while Barman utters lyrics throughout the song. This spoken voice effect appears all over the album, giving another layer to the distinctive music and then, as if in on cue, Tom changes things up by singing the chorus. It's effective but, after a while, gets predictable.
If you're a hardcore Deus fan, you won't be disappointed but you won't be blown away by their latest instalment. If you have never heard of Deus, Keep You Close may not have enough to win you over as their next biggest fan.
