I am really proud to announce that the first new Mono Vs Stereo release comes out today! Matty T and I have been placed in charge of signing bands to the label and I can’t think of a better possible first release than our buds in Deas Vail and their amazing new record Birds And Cages. Unfortunately we were not able to be a part of the recording process because we signed them after the recording was completed (although Matt does make a guest vocal appearance), but our good friend and my dad-in-law Mark Townsend produced the record and it sounds great (he also produced our new album). I am not only excited about these songs, but about the amount of great music these guys are going to continue to make. I have been a fan of this band since they put out their first record on Brave New World and I have been trying to put bugs in our friends ears about taking them on tour since then because they are a great live band. Wes is seriously one of the best singers that I have ever seen and it seems so effortless for him to be incredibly accurate. The band is out on tour with our friends Mae, who is a perfect fit for the band to tour with, and it seems like things are just lining up right now. They also have a tour in Jan/Feb with Owl City and Lights, which will be great!

I will talk about the record a little bit now. I am really pleased with the sequence of the album, Matt had some ideas that I would have never thought of and I really like how the album starts with a lot of energy. All the songs have so much depth and interesting things going on, it is definitely not an album you can just figure out on the first listen. But it is one you can enjoy on the first listen…although I think the more you listen to it, more and more tracks begin to stand out. One of my favorite things about the record are these little moments of songs that are really powerful and memorable. One of my favorites happens at the back half of the first track “The Things You Were”, everything cuts out except a little delay guitar and I just love the group vocals as well as Laura Beth singing more than on their earlier albums. The song “Excuses” is a great pop song that is actually interesting to listen to…I love the Americana rock feel of the verses. Followed by what is maybe my favorite song “Cages”. The ending on this song is so powerful, it was a big question of whether it should be the last track, but we really didn’t want it to get overlooked. Matt sings on “Birds”, which is a really cool song that features a cool old 60’s organ sound that reminds me of the The Never Ending Story or something like that. The album almost seems to unfold like a book or a children’s story, which goes perfectly with the artwork.

Some bands need to be in the right place at the right time to succeed (which is why there is so much bad music in the world), but I believe that Deas Vail is such quality music that it is just a matter of people hearing the record and giving them a chance. Please check it out.

buy the album for $7.99 on iTunes!

check out the band – listen to “Excuses” and check out their tour dates!