My opinion
This debut-cd of Venus has earned the dubious honour
of being the most dissapointing release of the year for
me. Admittedly, in order to dissapoint, ther have to be
high expectations, and those were here, on the basis of
a few song on "Royalsucker", their debut-EP of about a year
ago. Acoustic rock, power without electric guitars or keyboards,
but driven by strings : it is an original angle. More-over,
Venus has already a solid live-reputation, based on their
visually attractive show, that reaches already some way
across the Belgian frontiers (especially Italy loves 'em).
During the first times I put this record on, the most part
of the song did really get heavily on my nerves : what an
overacting !! The singer, Marc Huygens, is agonizing, except
for in the quieter parts. Never thought that subtility could
be so far away with guys playing acoustic instruments. When
you expect to be touched, surprised and charmed by a band
with some intelligence and theatrical insight, all you get
is a very big headache.
After a couple of more times listening to it, this situation
turns for the better (only "Ball room", "Out of breath",
"Perfect Lover", "White star line", "Bass, shivering bass"
still sit on my stomach like a heavy meal). But the beautiful
things that are surely on the cd ("I am the ocean", "Pop
Song", "Don't say you need love" and the miniatures "Dizzy"
and "Lisa Little Racket") do not push the end-balance sufficiently
in the right direction.
Welcome to the Modern Dance Hall? Thanks, but no thanks.
This Album in the Press
- Stage (B-Nl), november 1999 : "This is a surprisingly
rich album with lots of unpredictable ins and outs that
provide the listener with a pleasant rollercoastertrip all
the way to the end of the cd. Everything has been recorded
acoustically in large spaces to make a sound that's natural,
warm and human. ... The classical tone that characterizes
this album never is posh or calculated, but is an organic
part of the style of this very promising band. Full steam
ahead and don't look back, boys.".
- Rif-Raf (B-fr), oktobre '99 : "D'emblée, une question
se pose : Venus sera-t-il la révélation Belge de cette deuxième
partie de fausse fin de siècle où un simple pétard mouillé
? ... Avec Venus l'spressivité se fait muette, intrigante.
Elle jette un voile trouble sur les pistes d'approches,
de préhension, elle creuse les distances. C'est là que réside
le challenge des Belges : faire accepter une musique mûre,
mise continuellement et intentionellement à l'épreuve et
qui démande quelque effort, heureusement, bien vite récompensés."
- Mofo, septembre '99 : "Il etait attendu, et il est
finalement venu, le premier album de Venus … une reussite
émotionnelle!!"
- Flavio Brighenti "Musica!" (It) - 21/10/1999 "Venusiani
del rock unitevi … sta per diffondersi, anche in Itali,
un'ottima terapia antistress, naturalmente sonica … si chiama
Venus … insieme ai connazionali dEUS, una ghiotta sorpresa"
Dirk Houbrechts
The
Articles 