Published on Jul 15, 1997
Let’s be honest here – when you think of rock and roll, the
first place in the world that comes to mind isn’t Iceland. Hell, if
the Sugarcubes hadn’t burst onto the scene back in the late ’80s,
probably the only think Reykjavik would have been remembered for
was a summit between Reagan and Gorbachev.
So it was with trepidation that I approached the debut release
from Gus Gus,
Polydistortion. Any band with nine members tends to scare
me. Even their cryptic bio kept me from listening to the disc for a
few days.
But after a few spins on the old CD player in the Pierce
Memorial Archives (sterilized for your protection), I have to admit
this is an entertaining, though at times challenging, listen that
blows Bjork and her former band away.
The sparse liner notes prevent me from giving credit where
credit should be issued. It’s hard to tell if it is Daniel Agust,
Magnus Jonsson or Hafdis Huld singing. Thanks to the bio, though,
some performances can be singled out: Agust’s vocals on
“Polyesterday” and “Believe” (the latter featuring a killer riff
from Kool & The Gang as a sample) make these tracks some of the
best dance-cum-alternative I’ve heard blaring out of the speakers
in a long time. And Huld does wonders on “Cold Breath ’79,”
sounding slightly like a more controlled Bjork, only much more
fluid in her vocal. (I’d love to know who does the vocal on “Is
Jesus Your Pal?,” a song which may be the unheralded performance on
the disc.)
From the minute-long intro of “Oh,” you know this is going to be
an interesting journey. Though it stumbles a bit in the beginning
with “Gun,” Gus Gus is able to eventually win the listener over to
the track’s hypnotic beat and vocals. Be warned, though – this one
is at least a five-listen track before it becomes truly
addictive.
“Believe,” one of the two singles from
Polydistortion, is the proof that this band is both shunning
the path blazed for them by the Sugarcubes as well as carving their
own niche out in the world of alternative dance. Courtesy of the
previously mentioned sample, this one is going to leave a rhythm
burned into your head that is damn near impossible to shake. The
other single, “Polyesterday,” allows the band to be quirky without
going over the top. Maybe it was the control that Gus Gus showed
that made me a believer.
Not all the tracks live up to this hope, though. The vocal
shrieks in “Barry” grow almost to the point of annoyance – as if
the eponymous Bee Gee was having his vocal cords cut with a Super
Slicer. “Why?” and “Purple” tend to fall towards the side of
boredom as well. Nevertheless, the complaints with
Polydistortion are few.
I don’t mean to do any discredit to the remaining six band
members who I’ve not mentioned – nor do I mean disrespect by not
typing their names with the correct phonetic marks (so much for the
ease of use of Windows 95). One thing which does make me curious,
though, is the mention of film work and production in the bio. It
almost sounds like Gus Gus is a band who can be appreciated on
disc, but whose true art form is on the small screen – kind of like
Green Jello (I don’t care if that isn’t their name anymore) without
the foam rubber heads and funny songs, if you will.
What also intrigues me is that Music Boulevard, where I go for
many of the album covers you see here (please don’t sue), lists
Polydistortion as a limited edition release. Hmm… wonder
why.
(Editor’s note: CDNOW bought Music Boulevard around 1998 or
1999.)
If Gus Gus can win over a hardened critic like myself, then they
should have little problem conquering the alternative music world
they revel in.
Polydistortion is an admirable debut effort – and given a
little more work on the rough edges, they could make us forget
where they’re from and make us think about where they’re
headed.