Deas Vail

Deas Vail make their brand of mellow pop and piano ballads look too easy. Upon reading their entertaining bio it became apparent that the band is trying to give a little more substance to a seemingly shallow genre. All The Houses Look The Same is anything but forced (like that last piece of pizza) and Wes Blaylock’s vocals are one of the main reasons why. His voice soars into the realm of “How does he do that?” with ease. I’m not going to answer for him, but I bet his secret is a mixture of ginseng, tight pants and sheer talent.

A hefty helping of 13 songs, All The Houses Look The Same looks excessive from a relative unknown. And while some of the songs get a bit long and formulaic, most tracks will have you wishing for more. Deas Vail might be unfamiliar to most, but they have been a band for 3 years, constantly perfecting a blend of soaring choruses, post-rock influenced guitars (“Rewind”) and expert drumming all the while.

I’m a big fan of bands having an opening track that is indicative of the rest of the album. “Light As Air” (actually the second track, after pseudo-intro "Standing") is one of those tracks. The song is mostly up-tempo, with a slower piano ending featuring pretty, echoed effects. The guitars are high pitched and ethereal and Blaylock sounds great (recurring theme). “Surface” is more of a pop-rock song. The track has a strong guitar part that separates each section. In “Shadows And City Lights”, Blaylock’s unreal vocal range appears too good to be true (he’s classically trained). Closer, “…Still”, is a simple piano and vocal treat. Light electronic effects accent the track, but Blaylock is once again given free reign to shine (think Tom Hanks in Castaway, without the annoying volleyball sidekick).

Many pop bands play exceedingly fast music to trick you into believing that the album is better than it actually is. Deas Vail take a huge risk and play more slow, thoughtful songs. From the piano on “A Lover’s Charm” to the buzzing electronics on “Anything You Say”, Deas Vail cover a lot of ground. There are plenty of foot-tapping numbers on the release, but the band is best for those nervous “would you like to dance?” moments. Throw in female vocals on select songs from Laura Hudson and you have yourself one heck of a record. Life is full of tough decisions, but this thankfully isn’t one of them. All The Houses Look The Same added to your collection (and a cliche ending)? It’s a no brainer. - Blake Solomon

The great part about reviewing bands for IndieUprising, is the fact that I am suprised every time I hear a new band. Sometimes that’s a good thing & sometimes not so good.

I received a package from a new Indie Label known as Brave New World with Deas Vail’s debut album All the Houses Look the Same. The first thing I noticed about the CD was the great album artwork. (I’m kind of Old School & have my method of checking out a new CD. My first step is to take out the album artwork and flip through the lyrics and pictures. Then I take a listen.)

Let’s just say that this was my first big suprise of 2007. I’ve reviewed some really great bands so far this year, but there is something about Deas Vail that is very special. All the Houses Look the Same is not your standard pop indie rock album (or whatever you want to classify it as). This is a collection of songs that is extremely well rounded, each song flows into the other without crossing repetitive territory. Deas Vail is a band that relies on piano for most of it’s songs, and the piano is icing on the cake with this record. There are so many times where I found myself “air pianoing” while listening to the album. That’s not to say that piano overtakes these songs, or is the most important part. The songwriting is extremely balanced and all the instruments used rely on each other. If one element was missing (piano, guitar, bass, drums) this album would not be the same.

This review can’t end without talking about the vocals. Wes Blaylock’s vocals are absolutely stunning. His range is impeccable with amazing falsetto gracing most of the songs at one point or another. I don’t think I’ve heard a vocalist blend in so well with the songs. Wes is a classically trained vocalist and it shows in his control. Amazing stuff.

Deas Vail’s All the Houses Look the Same is a stunning debut for 2007. From the music, the songs to the lyrics Deas Vail have crafted a very special album. This album hasn’t left my car CD player since I received it. I think this is a defining album for the band and am looking forward to many more albums from Deas Vail in the future.

Standout Tracks:

“Shoreline”
“Surface”
“Shadows and City Lights” - Sean Duregger

You would never expect a debut disc from a young band on an equally young label to fall together quite this nicely. This young quintet from Russellville, Arkansas, truly understands the virtues of innovation and beauty. We have, unfortunately, become accustomed to "the mold". The emo-pop/punk archetype, punchy power chords and disheveled hair, peravades and leaves little room for music that really matters.

Deas Vail are here to remind us that rumination and reflection are not completely lost. Though the band still finds themselves very much in the realm of rock and roll, they are able to incorporate an elegance and grace that has previously been hard to come across. Long, billowing piano lines layered over rhythmic guitars and various other tasteful effects makes for an ethereal and often transcendent (ref: "Shoreline") collection of songs. The crystal clear vocal stylings of classically trained frontman Wes Blaylock perfectly complement the band's delicate, piano based experimentations.

Standout tracks include the aforementioned "Shoreline", "Follow Sound", which is dominated mostly by beautiful, melodic lead guitar riffs, and the seemingly uptempo "Light As Air".

Music like this is hard to be ignored. Deas Vail is certainly a band that demands your attention. - Liz Jones

My second step along the path of discovering the music scene in the state my wife and I have chosen to settle down in, is provided by a five-piece band named Deas Vail, from Russellville, Arkansas. Armed with the vocals and keyboard work of Wes Blaylock, guitar-work of Andy Moore, drums of Kelsey Harelson, bass of Jonathan Childs, and keyboard skills of Laura Hudson, I have to admit that I wasn’t quite prepared for what I heard when I dropped their album into my stereo.


Perhaps due to a bias of what I would expect from a southern band — hell, something along the lines of the band I featured last week, Starroy — it took me a while to get comfortable with Deas Vail’s album, All The Houses Look The Same. That sentence might need a bit of clarification. Starroy, and the fact that I found myself enjoying the hell out of their record, perhaps had me not only expecting more of “the same,” but also perhaps initially rejecting anything else.

Then again, it also could be that I’m simply not as open-minded about music as I might think I am.


So, wanting and thinking about southern rock, what I found myself listening to was this wonderfully melodic album that just soared on the damned-near ethereal vocals of Wes Blaylock. Honestly, there are notes and heights of emotion that he manages to hit on some of the songs on this album, that I wonder if they’d had to tie him down while he was in the studio, lest he float away.


After a few more listens, and then a few more, I realized I’d probably listened to All The Houses Look The Same about fifty times in two weeks and it dawned on me that Blaylock’s vocals weren’t the only thing managing to soar.


I wonder if Deas Vail are as proud of this album as I think they should be?

From the slow-building mood of “Standing,” the ethereally funky melody of “Light As Air,” the achingly-lovely piano work on “Shoreline,” to the… get the drift, here? Sitting here, looking at the words I’ve typed and knowing that nothing my clumsy fingers ever produced could describe to you how good and lovely this album is, just depresses me.

Luckily, there are avenues open that allow Deas Vail’s music to speak for itself. The most obvious place to begin would be at the band’s MySpace Page, which features (at the moment) four of their songs. If you find that you like what you hear there (and you will), then I encourage you to head on out to EmotionalPunk.com, where you’ll be able to listen to nearly all of the album’s songs, via online streaming.

If you’re interested in getting to know the guys (and gal) in the band, “Sleeping With Headphones” has a very nice interview up.

Once you’ve had a chance to listen to their music and get to know them through their own words, you’ll be doomed as I am — doomed to your new status as a fan. The only cure for that would be to purchase All The Houses Look The Same, and shake your head in amazement that they aren’t signed to a major label.

Hopefully, as this journey progresses, I’ll not only get a chance to listen to other bands that are equally as talented as Deas Vail, but I’ll find a way to shake free of my preconceptions of what kind of music a band should be capable of making, or of what kind of music that I’m capable of enjoying.

Also, importantly, I hope I can convince a few people to give bands like Deas Vail a listen. The bands are the ones with the talent, y’know. All I do is frantically scribble out words and hope nobody calls me on how lame I probably am. - Michael Jones

From a pretty unknown band comes the best release thus far in the year. Deas Vail has a style pop enough to attract almost anyone, but deep enough to earn your respect. All the houses look the same‚ is an amazing full length debut from the band, and will surely put them on a lot of people's radar from now on.

Even the first time I listened to the record I knew I liked it; the more I listened the more I love it. Deas Vail will probably sound very familiar to you like it did me. At first I shook it off, but it finally hit me when listening to the mellower song Shoreline. Shoreline sounds like a song from Mae, it doesn't stop there though. Still, the closing song sounds like Copeland, and Life in these little boats sounds like it could have been on a Mute Math record. I think mostly it's the music that's reminiscing of those bands but when I finally figured out who it was reminding me of, it surprised me how similar the songs sounded. Of course this is not a bad thing for Deas Vail I guess just a compliment to the other bands I mentioned.

All the houses look the same is beautiful both musically and vocally. The instruments lay down a perfect foundation for the stand out vocals. The album achieves a balance of rock and intimacy most bands only dream of. The stand out tracks would have to be Anything you say, along with Light as air. Please check out this release, it will be worth your money for the disc. - Tyler Hayes

Pretty much if you like good music, you will like this band. - Matt Hoopes

There are only a few artists who I feel truly privileged to have stumbled upon, and Deas Vail (read: day-ahs-vale) is one of them. Although they are a relatively young band and have just released their first full-length album, All the Houses Look the Same, earlier this year, they seem to effortlessly make music that is original and accessible and interesting. Their brand of indie rock breaks away from the norm because of the ambient instrumentation and "nursery rhyme-ish" melody lines (as leader singer Wes says); they manage to avoid excessive use of heavy guitars in favor of melodic pianos and synths. The song structures on this album defy traditional rock formulas, which sometimes makes it difficult to grasp onto the hooks or choruses of their music at first listen. However, I consider this to be a good thing, because after a few listens, one begins to appreciate the complexity of their instrumentation and lyrics; there are consistently new things to discover, which keeps Deas Vail's music far from being boring.

The song I have chosen for today's MOTW is one of the last on their album and is called "This Place is Painted Red". There are so many things I love about this song that it's hard to know where to begin. The track starts with a drum solo by their (unbelievably talented) drummer, Kelsey Harelson. The instrumentation stays simple during the verses, with each instrument playing very separate, distinctive roles in the song. This simplicity continues until the chorus, when all the instruments present combine in a way that is both rhythmic and melodic. The song grows even more in complexity and emotional appeal as the chorus gives way to the heart-wrenching string section that accompanies the final bridge of the song, before ending with a simple, but beautiful, piano solo. The lyrics of this song give it much of its charm. Like the instrumentation, they defy formulas, even to the point of never rhyming. The lyrics read like a story and don't necessarily sound like poetry, but they are so honest and full of imagery that they instantly capture the imagination and make the listener really contemplate the issues of relationships and pain and hope that they discuss. The lyrics also manage to fit flawlessly with the music, which helps to make this track a pleasure to listen to from beginning to end.

If you like this track at all, I highly recommend buying the album, because I have absolutely no doubt that you will love the whole thing. And also, if it is at all possible, go see them on tour, because they are amazing live. Not to mention that they are incredibly kind people. Alright, enough shameless band promoting. Go enjoy the song!! - posted by Jill on switchfeed.com

When asked who would be eaten first in a life and death situation, the answer was clearly unanimous: Kelsey Harrelson. “He has the most tender of meat, plus we just bought him a two pound box of Goldfish to fatten him up in case that happens,” explained Jonathan Childs, bassist of the new promising band Deas Vail of Brave New World Records.


Their new album, “All the Houses Look the Same,” released in March of 2007, received highly acclaimed recognition from Matt Hoopes of Relient K and solo artist John Reuben. Deas Vail, meaning “God” in Latin and “humble servant” in old French, is formed by vocalist/keyboardist Wes Blaylock, keyboardist Laura Blaylock, bassist Jonathan Childs, guitarist Andy Moore, and drummer Kelsey Harrelson. “We met in college and had mutual friends. We’re all kind of musical, I guess – well we wrote our own music – so when we got together we kind of liked what we did as a group. We decided to take it a little more seriously,” said Laura Blaylock, explaining how Deas Vail came into existence.


Although our conversation was obviously unconventional, involving a little white van, a cell phone, and a speakerphone on my end they were truly some of the most down to earth people I had talked to in a long time. Having hosted them at my house during the summer, I felt as if I was calling an old friend and picking up our chat where it had left off. Their endearing and individualistic qualities made talking with them very refreshing, even if Childs did hog the phone.


Sometimes compared to other bands such as Mae (Tooth and Nail) and Copeland (The Militia Group), Deas Vail has a unique blend of indie rock and ambiance, with the help of Wes Blaylock’s unwavering falsetto vocals, which sets them apart. Being hard to categorize a band into a specific band, Laura Blaylock summed it up by saying, “We really pull from the underground-indie type of music.”


The hardworking members are writing new material to be able to record tentatively by next spring. “Wes is writing stuff on the piano and we’ve gotten together and have been practicing,” said Childs. “We’ve got about five or six new songs in progress, maybe even more..” Fans of Deas Vail fear not, their style is not changing. I was reassured by Childs that they “do have different inspirations, but it won’t be uncomfortably different.”


With all of their frequent writing and touring it doesn’t seem like it leaves much time for much of anything else. Well, it doesn’t. Childs readily said, “We’re really psyched about getting some time off for the holidays and spending some time with loved ones and girlfriends.”


The case for Wes and Laura Blaylock is very different. In the spring of 2007, Wes and Laura got married around the same time the album was released. I asked Childs if this was ever awkward having to tour with a married couple, not just that, a newly married couple, freshly hitched. Much to my surprise, he simply answered, “No.” He explained that it was a cool experience to witness love between two people, and can only hope to find that love for himself. Speaking for Moore, Childs said, “Andy and I are in relationships ourselves, so it gives hope and it’s kind of inspirational. Something to look forward to in the next couple of years, maybe.”


As a girl myself, I feel a little sorry for Laura, not the other guys. Living in and out of a van for two months with four boys? My first reaction is, “Yuck!”, but Laura is completely fine with it saying, “Sometimes it’s easier to be around these guys than to integrate myself into a group of girls. I grew up with brothers, it’s like sometimes times are good with them and sometimes times are bad with them; it’s the same with the band.” With all of these relationships in mind, members of Deas Vail still manage to keep their main influence at the forefront: their faith.


Their Christian influence is subtle although clearly noticeable after talking with them, but being pushed into the label of secular or Christian music can be a pitfall according to Childs. They do view themselves as a Christian band, however Childs said, “We want our ministry to be overarching and be able to minister to people on a personal level, not just through music. We’re spoken to in different ways.”


Because they don’t want to push their beliefs onto fans, doesn’t mean they don’t spend time alone with God, although it can be extremely hard to find that quality time. “It’s tough because we’re with each other 24/7 on tours, but we pull out our Bibles and read, and pray for each other and take prayer requests every day,” said Childs. “For me, it’s a little different than your normal quiet time. Being amongst new people all the time and seeing God work in that way is almost inspiring. It’s a spiritual reinforcement in a different way.”


So where will Deas Vail be in the next few years? Childs mused, “Well, that’s tough question. We have to just trust God, our friends, each other, and ourselves. Maybe we’ll be on a tour with Coldplay next year, who knows?” Hopefully Harrelson will still be alive by next year.


- Aubrie Gilespie