Deas Vail - White Lights Review
Posted by JR Simmang on 09.03.2008
Again, it’s a good time for Christian rockers. All hail, no longer should you feel the need to hang your head in lyrical shame. Deas Vail makes loving God totally righteous, pun intended.
So, I never really know what to expect when I choose the music to review. I mean, I get a list and I choose. When I got in Deas Vail, I didn’t think I’d be listening to cutting edge lyrics, philanthropic idealism, and technical perfection. These “All About God”-ers are more or less just singing about the one thing that gets them through the tough problems of the world. Plus, they have a kick-some-major-a$$ drummer. That’s a novel idea, get a good drummer. And I think I should mention that the name, for those of you who doubt their roots, means “Humble Servant of God.” But, I got that from Wikipedia, so you might want to double check.
White Lights, the band’s second EP with the full length album out whenever, is promising right from the start. “Undercover” begins with this eerie screeching from instrumental feedback and the quick- tempo hi- hat. Vocalist Wes Blaylock premiers and the listener is stuck wondering if Muse just somehow slipped in the backdoor and found its way into the CD player, or MP3 player. Just showed my age. The song goes back and forth between Nickle Creek emotional violin and back again to some Deathcab for Cutie instrumentation. There’s some fantastic background vocals from Laura Blaylock, the synth operator. Highly intriguing and never disappointing.
The EP title track, “White Lights” (I didn’t think I needed to tell you, but some people…), is highly reminiscent of “When the Water Falls” from the Collective Soul self- titled album circa March 15, 1995. The lead guitar even uses the same filter as Dean Roland. It’s sorrowful, sad, and unravels a tale of time- honored truths of teenagers and addiction. You knew it had to be coming. Any good Christian band worth its weight in gold sings a song about addiction. This one tops the chart. It’s a great lead in from the first song and delivers a great message. Wes Blaylock’s passionate falsetto doesn’t detract anything from the song mainly because he keeps the power behind his vocals. The counter- rhythm is almost hypnotic. And it ends on a happy note, tying up the loose strings from the addictee’s cleaning house. The fadeout is a welcome introduction into the next song.
Deas lulls the listener with “Last Place.” It’s not too slow to make you fall into a deep, dreaming slumber, but not nearly as quick as the rest of the album. Wes shows off more of his vocal talent and the group behind him is allowed a little more showcasing of the way they meld as a band. The female vocalist adds a much needed feminine touch to the song and the execution is flawless.
“From Priests to Thieves” carries on the soft, dramatic overtones of the rest of the EP. The energy remains constant, but there is a definite loss of rapid exchange pressure. The EP becomes a rock ballad one after the other like A Mark, A Mission, A Brand, A Scar. And there it is with the waltz. It’s something of beauty. The song isn’t difficult technically, but the beat thrums on with added sadness. The main thing about this song I think is actually the message behind the baseline music. The lyrics bemoan a tragedy of life, of letting someone leave the light of vitality and getting caught up in a downward spiral. Wes asks the age- old question, “What have we done?” The haunting female voice powers just over Wes’s in the chorus and balances the whole thing. And yet, despite the feeling of being powerless and highly, and I emphasize highly, emotional, the song trumpets on hopefully. There’s light at the end of the tunnel here.
The EP ends on “Balance.” I thought it was a clever retrospective look back to the beginning of the album, balancing it out with a considerably slower rhythm and the reveal that there’s only one balance in his life. The drummer gets his break, the violins cue in from the sides of the stage and the group is down on their knees, swaying with the crowd with the music. There’s a solemn respect that must be given at the end of the EP. Everyone hold hands. Amen.
The 411: White Lights, the second EP of Deas Vail, reveals just what a modern Christian rock group can do. They’re past Praise and Worship, they’re past hymnals, they’re second star to the right and straight on ‘til morning. They give, they take. They start off strong, and end strong, but make you want to put on your choir robe and sing. Vocals are well- thought, the rhythm is inescapable. Check out the full- length album coming out soon.
