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Longtime fans of Christian music will certainly recall the saying that states
that everything popular in the Christian music scene
is “five years behind the general market.”
I have often taken issue with the statement but this
time I’m going to have to agree. I suppose I’m
just like everyone else, I don’t care if you
sound five years ago as long as it’s a style
of music I like. And that’s the core of the
reason this album and I simply don’t get along.
Deas Vail’s debut for new label Brave New World
is a laid back affair with all the ambitions of Coldplay
or Brazil coupled with a lackluster delivery. While
the band are technically proficient and decent songwriters
there is little to latch onto here for the average
music listener. This is fairly tiring, even for emo,
exhibiting absolutely no energy. As rock music makes
a comeback a band like this could easily get lost
in the shuffle.
It’s not all bad here; in fact mediocrity is
more the problem. As I mentioned, the band are decent
enough at what they do. “Shoreline” ranks
among the good moments, despite how mellow it is the
orchestration catches your ear and helps a great deal
in holding your attention. “Shadows and City
Lights” is kept alive by the band’s very
able rhythm section but nearly sabotaged by the weak
vocals. Likewise, “Surface” is a decent
attempt at doing something uptempo but is undisputedly
wrecked by the singer’s obsession with using
his falsetto at all the wrong moments.
I just can’t get into this. Props to the band
for doing what they love but these are the kind of
albums that are latched onto only for a moment and
found years later in used CD bins across the country
in abundance. Fans of Fast Computers, Cool Hand Luke,
Bernard, or the aforementioned bands may like this
but, in all honesty, All the Houses Look The Same
isn’t nearly as intriguing as a whole album.
Key Tracks: Shoreline, Shadows and City Lights
Reviewed by Mark Fisher
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