Deas Vail All the Houses Look the Same Brave New World Rock 03-06-2007

SCORE 94%

The thoughtfully crafted indie rock of All the Houses Look the Same beams across the universe like a ray of dazzling white light from high above the clouds. Yes, their intricate sound is that brightly epic, and very refreshing among the Christian music fields.

Their debut was originally to come from Rambler Records, and the shift to Brave New World cost them a year, but it was clearly time well spent. The title All the Houses Look the Same is a bit of intrigue from an album on which absolutely nothing looks the same, from the cleverly-titled, haunting piano ballads that bookend this impressive full length debut, to the high-density gems that inhabit the middle. Their imaginative, ambient music covers realms both spiritual and emotional, some lyrics more oblique than others. Deas Vail makes you stretch toward comprehension but the mystique only enhances your enjoyment of their intelligent space pop.

All the Houses Look the Same comes across at first listen as airy and mellow but their blend of electronic effects, precise instrumentation, and soaring vocal arrangements carries a one-two punch that draws you in ever deeper. The lovely “Shoreline” builds from quiet strings and a melodic piano line into a bright crescendo of light, thick with splashing cymbals, before stringing you up with frontman Wes Baylock’s stunning falsetto, leaving you with a feeling of sweet release. It’s followed immediately by the undulating rock of “A Lover’s Charm,” its thundering guitars melding into stark spacey beat-driven rock, all the more moving for its emotive mystery. Song of surrender, “Anything You Say,” is an intricate dance of electronic and vocal interplay, and Blaylock’s amazing voice again wanders wide and free as he bemoans love lost over the sparkling keys of “Life in These Little Boats.” Oh, that voice. The classically trained Blaylock seems almost unnatural in his range, moving easily between octaves on the hard-driving “Light as Air.” Second only to the near-brilliance of the vocals is the use of keyboards on this disc to create moody and meticulous soundscapes.

There’s really only one way in which Deas Vail’s intricate and ethereal All the Houses Look the Same is NOT mysterious: there is absolutely no question of its import. Giving up big bang for the buck, the Deas Vail debut album is a must-have.