Deas Vail – Think Mew + Mae

I’m sure bands hate it when the first thing you comment on is how amazing the lead vocalist’s voice is; but this is one damn good voice. Amazing falsetto. Anyhow, what’s a good voice without good music? Deas Vail have a great thing going for such a young band. They have only made one full-length album so far, entitled “All the Houses Look the Same” and just recently released an EP entitled “White Lights” — both of which are on the label “A Brave New World.”

Hailing from Arkansas, they themselves say they’ve been influenced by Death Cab and Mew, and it certainly shows. They sound like a cross between Mae and Mew with a splash of Copeland every now and again–but, they’re certainly not copycats and are carving out their out sound.

After a brief opener, the album begins with a piano driven track entitled “Light as Air” that has a tight baseline driving the beat. I think this song really sets the stage for the rest of the disc. The whole album has walks the line between upbeat and slightly depressed. I love it.

Something else kind of cool (I’m a sucker for this…): keys are played by, Laura Baylock, who is married to Wes Baylock (lead vocalist).

My only complaint against this record is that I want Wes to switch out of falsetto once in awhile and hit the top of his range. That being said, I love the falsetto. And, I can’t get enough of the clean tone of those guitars–so good. Deas Vail just released a new EP, and Wes is really belting it on the few tracks I’ve heard–just verging on a scream, so maybe that’s the direction they’re moving. You can check out a few tracks from the new EP, White Lights, at PureVolume.

Their new album is slated to arrive in 2009. In the meantime, enjoy one of my favorite tracks off “All the Houses Look the Same” entitled, “Rewind” (and don’t forget it will be on the mixtape!)

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Buy both the “All the houses Look the Same” and “White Lights” at Amazon.