Album of the Month : September 2000
T h o u (B) :
" Put us in tune"
( [PIAS] Recordings)
Albums that grow on you, convince you bit by bit, tug you in, suck you in : « Put us in tune » is definitely one of that kind. Quicksand love... At almost every spin, it's another track that strikes the ear. The range of sounds and styles is impressive, from cosy acoustics to Cardigans-ish pop, from indie-rock to Trent Reznor's dark soundscapes, from trip-hop to This Mortal Coil's soaring beauties. THOU is mighty effective with tones and colours, and this variety is even more enhanced by the different vocals the band displays ( Bart Vincent with sneering singing, Bart Vincent with falsetto singing, Does de Wolf with her innocent girlie voice). THOU cannot be confined to a small place : That's their strength, and perhaps also their weakness.
« Hurry, hurry hit me, hurry won't you hit me » sighs Does de Wolf on the sad fanfare of the haunting Weak lady , not surprisingly released as single simultaneously with the album. Other highlights include the live favourite Soon daladies , the freak-out chaos of C'est moi , the touching simplicity of Calling me , the great melody of Colour the sun , or the nice closing ballad Before we get lovers .
The financial troubles, the fact of having to look hard for a label with the finished product in hand ( despite credentials such as PJ Harvey's sidekick John Parish at the production, and the use of Bristol-based PORTISHEAD's studios) : All this becomes very unreal when you listen to this very fine result. Because « Put us in tune » is a big leap forward for a band that was already very interesting...
Adapted from a review by Dirk HOUBRECHTS.
Check Dirk's terrific and comprehensive web site on Belgian Rock and pop at:
This album in the press :
- METRO ( De Morgen) : « " Put us in tune" by THOU is not one of the best Belgian albums of the first half of this year, but one of the best in general »
Management : bman@euronet.nlRecord company: www.pias.be