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Deas Vail
Birds & Cages (Mono vs. Stereo)
Released January 2010
Joel Oliphint

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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.

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