|
Style: Rafter-reaching, emo/indie pop; compare to Mae, Copeland, Relient K
Top tracks: "Excuses," "Sunlight"
Deas Vail (a Latin/French amalgam loosely translated "God's humble servant") knows its best asset is singer Wes Blaylock's honeyed falsetto. It goes down nicely with the band's pretty piano, lush strings, and smoothly distorted guitars. Lyrically, Deas Vail is more explicitly Christian than the strikingly similar bands mentioned above, but there are probably enough thinly veiled "God or girlfriend?" lyrics to leave the door cracked for mainstream audiences. Blaylock's ever-present falsetto can be a crutch, as well; after a few spins I was jonesing for more grit and gusto. And though at times Birds & Cages' ambition pays off, Deas Vail tries too hard to be epic.
Copyright © 2010 Christianity Today. Click for reprint information.
Annual & Monthly subscriptions available.
- Print & Digital Issues of CT magazine
- Complete access to every article on ChristianityToday.com
- Unlimited access to 65+ years of CT’s online archives
- Member-only special issues
- Learn more
Read These Next
- TrendingAmerican Christians Should Stand with Israel under AttackWhile we pray for peace, we need moral clarity about this war.
- From the MagazineI Hated ‘Church People.’ But I Knew I Needed Them.As I attended my second funeral in three weeks, two Christians showed me a kindness I couldn’t explain.
- Editor's PickShoes Stay On for Maundy ThursdayFew Protestant traditions continue the footwashing that Jesus did at the Last Supper. Some want a revival of the practice.