Well, André Bach & Mark Tegefoss are back again as deNeuve, the Dutch duo that always manages to take avant garde electronica to new levels. This time though, I think they've gone off the deep end. '.be' is ten tracks (in 42 minutes) of utter weirdness that seems in no way (that I know of) connected to the track titles. deNeuve's modus operandi seems to be similar to their previous work- repetitive sample looping and repeated synthesizer sequences. Previously many of these non-songs (or perhaps, nonsense songs) were amusing and even beguiling. On '.be' though, they come off as more annoying than anything else, especially when consumed in bulk.

First track "Scoop" begins with a sequenced rat-a-tat and weird loops with a sort of stream-of-consciousness recitation about being hypnotized by...radio??? Then, "banging on a tin drum," all the while mad synth sequences and sample & hold synths with a strong back beat marches into insanity. Yeah, that's the ticket! "Double North," which follows, features an unfollowable synth sequence, sampled ukulele tuning (sounds like, but probably isn't) and whispery female voice. If you remember anything about "Ramshackle" it will be these words - "Smiling...smiling...turn...turn…what am I doing in the driveway...driveway...driveway..." There's more but you get the drift. That's accompanied of course by a pulsing beat and an oddity of synths. Sounds to me like somebody forgot they dropped a couple hits of acid then decided to take a drive in their car and...you can guess the rest. Two minutes of this would have been fine but nearly five? A bit too much for me.

The first track I really liked was "The Sofa Shuffle" with a driving rhythm and lyrics about cooling down and chilling. I don't get the connection to the title; must be an in joke or something. The beat of "Coast Starlight" is pulverizing and the synthwork and samples seem to slice through your brain. Unpleasant. The next few tracks make a concerted effort to be clever but come off as obtuse. The effort and complexity is there but the method/concept leaves something to be desired. After a while I just lost interest in listening to the hodge-podge collection of sounds, no matter how painstakingly they may have been assembled. The one-sheet that accompanied the CD was all in Dutch, so that didn't help with any explanation of the concept, but if you're looking for anything goes underground industrial avant garde electronica in the realm of the unfathomable, this is it.