There's some kind of press-release about Vantage Point on the Scala-website. Here's what it says about the album:
It also contains some words by Tom:The album draws to a close on an emotional note, the beautiful piano refrain on ''Smokers Reflect” framing it’s lyric of love’s regret. This is followed by the epic sweep of ‘The Vanishing Of Maria Schneider’, a lilting meditation upon the transitory nature of beauty which features the aching harmonies of Elbow’s Guy Garvey on guest vocals. ‘Popular Culture’ closes the album out with raggedy choirs singing philosophical choruses over strings and a veritable Phil Spector Wall Of Sound. A suitably grand exeunt for an album that plays large. A record that will provide a soundtrack to both nocturnal adventures as much as the wide open skies of festival season.
Vantage Point is the band’s most exciting album to date, stretching themselves further and remaining, as ever, profoundly adventurous. “After a while, you get tired of singing about yourself,” smiles Barman, of the songs that make up Vantage Point. “On songs like ‘Slow’ and ‘The Architect’, I’m writing stories about other people, which I’ve never tried before. I interviewed Nick Cave the other day, for Belgian TV, and he’s one of my heroes. And he said, ‘It’s too easy to write about yourself’, and that’s so true. It’s exciting to try new ideas, that’s always been at the heart of this band.”
(thx to Tijs for reminding me)
as if Sister Dew is about himself :)
there is also a first part to this text :
dEUS return with “Vantage Point”, their boldest album to date, featuring guest vocal appearances from Karin Dreijer Andersson from The Knife and Guy Garvey of Elbow. “Vantage Point” finds dEUS at their most adventurous and self-assured. The brooding grandeur of opener ‘When She Comes Down’ precedes a confident left-turn, the anxious squall of ‘Oh Your God’, Tom spitting wisdoms over tremolo guitar drone. “Eternal Woman” follows, highlighting the more emotive side of dEUS, before the propulsive rhythms and menacing guitars of “Favourite Game”. Icy synths combine with dark, smouldering bass on the noirish “Slow”, featuring a stellar guest vocal appearance from Karin Dreijer Andersson of The Knife, while The Architect finds dEUS in early 80s NY punk-funk territory. The album draws to a close ...
find the original first part here : http://www.scala-london.co.uk/scala/events.php?ver=live
'Favourite Game' could be borrowed from the Leonard Cohen novel that goes by the same name... since Tom has made an effort to cover or incorporate at least five of Cohen's songs since dEUS started, it's not very unlikely. Then again, "propulsive rhythms and menacing guitars" don't give away all that much of the actual content, so this is purest speculation.