Back in the '90s dEUS were one of the most exciting bands on the indie circuit. You could never quite guess where they were going to head next. Debut album Worst Case Scenario had elements of the burgeoning grunge scene to it, but there were huge swathes of avant garde influence in there too as violins screeched across many tracks as if played with saws.
Following Worst Case Scenario was The Ideal Crash, which saw dEUS develop considerably and adopt an almost mainstream sound at times – the likes of which can be found in the first half of Sister Dew (the second half is reassuringly dissonant.)
Skip forward a few years and The Vanishing of Maria Schneider plants dEUS in the middle of the road. In some ways it's something of a shame because you'd love there to be adventurous histrionics all over the song, but ultimately you have to take it for what it is, a well written tune that should do well on Radio 2. Arguably this is one of the highlights of their recent album Vantage Point, and should find favour amongst those who like their rock tinged with a hint of Coldplay-esque grandeur.
Indeed Elbow's Guy Garvey adds his vocals to proceedings giving it a real sense of grandeur. One for the masses then, but also one that leaves you hankering for a little more of the eccentricity that dEUS once had.
