Gus Gus - Polydistortion

This is a smart and sassy album that bears repeated hearings. Bursting with innovation and experimentation, the genre is unclassifiable. It is psychedelic but focused, it is drugged-out music with a sober direction, it is dance music which you can hardly dance to, and it is ambient music that provokes thought and not induce relaxation.

On "Gun", there is brilliant play on electronics, with muted acid sounds blubbering about in the background, and wicked beats / instrumentation bursting into audibility one moment and then forced underwater the next. The vocals are cool, calm and collected: "Take that gun, blow your mind, take that gun, go ahead and make my day."

"Believe" has long been released as a single - and its distinctive rat-a-tat-tat cowbell knocks up stylised syncopation with the sexy bassline, which is raspy but never abrasive. Velvety-smooth male vocals sing ambivalently about (possibly homosexual) love. With cleverly-constructed lyrics, you can't decide if he wants it because it makes him happy and clean, or he is aching for religious help.

"Polyesterday" is another big hit, with catchy vocals and a kickass bassline. The beats - almost military-style - creates an enjoyable ruckus while the background synths coo on. Stylish.

"Barry" features sexually-charged beats and bassline, with male falsetto vocals, whining and pining for a dance with a man named Barry. It's quite a good track, which made it as a single too.

"Cold Breath" features soft, wispy female vocals, over a cool-sounding uber-lounge background arrangement. Again, beats and electronica pack the punch, sometimes by zooming in and out of audibility, a little like "Gun".

"Is Jesus Your Pal?" is a frightening work of Art. Emiliana Torrini's cold vocals personify Lucifer, and complements the ambient howling in the background, with stripped-down beats supporting a boat you know is headed for trouble. Torrini asks "Is Jesus your pal? Do you call out his name when your conscience is shivering?" and then later invites the listener to join her on her sinking lifeboat. This is chilling ambient music at its best.

The above reviewed tracks are my favourites off the album. It rewards patient listening, and definitely stands up to the scrutiny of time. 5 out of 5.

Before this album, and it was in 1998 when I bought it, I wasn't that keen on the 90s - generally I am an 80s music fan and the decade which was closing down wasn't a sanctuary I felt safe with the new sound.... But, then again, everyone grows up in some sense of listenership and my accidental stumble upon Gus Gus only proved how wrong I was ignoring the 90s. I remember the group advertising in The Face magazine a year earlier for 'Believe', their 'new' single back then. I wondered what kind of a group it is with such an intriguing name (originating from the obscure Fassbinder film) and later spotted both, the single and the album in the shops - albeit a groundbreaking and already achieving general public recognition worldwide, here in my country GG seemed to have fallen flat for public attention.... The opening edit for 'Oh!' felt like a typical melancholic take in the wake of 4AD (much in vein of a certain Nick Cave), but after bubbling and menacing 'Gun' I knew this was something special... 'Believe' with its gorgeous hypnotic beat (and as much freaky video), dispersed electronics and tranquil vocals, 'Polyesterday' with its uptight funk continued with drowned and haunting 'Barry', 'Cold Breath 79' which at times reminds of Bjork but keeps the group's essence, a beautiful ballad 'Why?', mesmerising and disturbing 'Rememberance', equally spooky and shivering cover of 'Is Jesus Your Pal?' (a song that perfectly expresses the feeling of unceretainty when it comes to religion), techno-esque ambience of 'Purple' plus untitled, closing track (somewhere also mentioned as 'Polyreprise')... Sum total an album which the group themselves had difficulties to catch up with in their later releases, 'Polydistortion' is an absolute classic, equally timeless in its beauty as it suggests the atmosphere of the group's native country... Highly recommended. 10+

I got this Cd when I was about 13. Then, I liked, and now I still do. It's not good, but it's not bad either. It has it's moments. Very 4AD indeed. The hidden track at the end still confuses me. Frankly this album just proves that some art students shouldn't get thes damn crazy ideas about making an album. Peachy Keen nonetheless.