Neva- Individu

ARTIST: Neva

ALBUM: Individu

LABEL: Alone Prod.

REVIEWER: Matthew J.

DATE: 1-30-10

Neva was the first band of French death rock icon Jacquy Bitch, who has gone on to have a distinguished solo career, and this was the group's first album, originally released on cassette in 1987. This remastered CD edition captures the band's early energy and theatrical power, though the sound quality leaves a lot to be desired. The album begins with seven live songs which run the gamut from the speedy "Sacrilege" to the quieter, moodier "Image de Nuit," but the highlight is Bitch himself. Though clearly inspired by such artists as Rozz Williams, Andi Sex Gang and Gavin Friday in his Virgin Prunes days, Bitch brings his own unique take to the reedy nasal screeching developed by his death rock forebears. Whether bouncing acrobatically on "Cites Perdues" or screeching wildly through "Hallucination," there's a sense that Bitch is camping things up a bit, enjoying his demented persona for its own sake as much as for its effect on the audience. On the seven studio tracks that follow, he actually sings on "Valse," but again it's the more manic vocals that impress the most: the wild chanting of "Out-Live," the spoken word trailing into creepy laughter of "Amnesie" and the reverberating moans of "Psykodrame." It's intriguing stuff, close enough to other '80s death rock icons to draw immediate comparisons but unique enough to feel like a lost gem. Unfortunately, the recording quality is so poor that only hardcore Jacquy Bitch fans or dedicated scholars of the French gothic rock movement will really appreciate this to its fullest extent.

For more information, visit the project's MySpace page at www.myspace.com/nevaproject.