Album Review: Deas Vail - Birds & Cages

If you are not familiar with the name Deas Vail, you certainly will spot it in the near future. The piano focused indie-rock band from Arkansas is slowly gaining large attention in the scene and is touring with Lights, with Owl City, and with Copeland on their farewell tour. With well-deserved praise, the band’s third full-length release, 'Birds & Cages', will only help further their growing appeal, even if this otherwise promising album falls short of presumed potential on a few key tracks.

'Birds & Cages' is a compilation of the band's most thoughtful material with a mixture of powerful writing, stunning vocals, and good musicianship. The opener, “The Things You Were,” immediately exposes Wes Baylock’s incredible talent as he sings in falsetto throughout the song, calling the stand-out line, “I turned every light on, but I still can’t find my way.”

The first half of the record brings a powerful range of pleasant surprises. Title tracks “Cages” and “Birds,” are unsurprisingly the most impressive songs on the album. Presenting the timeless metaphor, “we all are birds, stuck inside our cage,” “Birds” steals the prize for the album’s best track.

Overall, Deas Vail produced a possibly stunning album that ultimately falls just short of perfection. “Growing Pains,” “Dance In Perfect Time,” and “The Great Physician” all miss their mark and fail to match the high points of the remaining tracks on the album. Regardless of Wes’s resonating vocals, the aforementioned tracks are unnessecary bridges that only inhibit the potential of the stand out songs on Birds & Cages.

Deas Vail should have no difficulties cultivating perfection on their next release and certainly deserve to be proud of their latest work. Though Birds & Cages falters from it’s desired greatness, the album is nothing less than enjoyable. Wes Baylock’s vocals are truly a treat and a gift not to be taken for granted in the current music scene.

3/5

'Birds & Cages' is available digitally now and is physically released on January 26th through Mono Vs Stereo Records.

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Zack Zarrillo