The World Is Brought Into Sharp Focus By Deap Vally

One trick pony lyrics have the potential to weigh any act down, regardless of genre. Country has its cheatin' songs. Pop and R & B have their deepest, most unwavering devotional love songs. Those genres have the benefit of striking a nerve of global appreciated sentiment. In the rock arena you better have the moxie if your songs hitch their wagons to one concept. In the case of L.A.'s Deap Vally (friendly wink out of respect for the deliberate misspelling of both words) the prime theme of "End of the World" is how, by not figuring out how to love one another we're racing towards the end of the world. Runs a big risk of sounding preachy. After all getting all 7 billion plus humans marching in the same direction isn't exactly much simpler than, say, brain surgery. This analysis of the hoped for humankind lovefest strikes paydirt basically because of the chutzpah shown by guitarist and vocalist Lindsey Troy and drummer Julie Edwards. Lindsey brings a carefully dangerous power attack to her guitar. The chord sequences are about as gentle as a chain saw but no less rewarding on a caveman level. Julie drums loosely. She lets the adrenaline come to her rather than try to grasp for the added strength that may not be there right when she wants it. According to Wikipedia the twosome first met at a needlework class where Jules taught Lindsey the finer points of that craft. Needlework equals fabrics. Social fabric equals "Why can't we just love each other because, to do otherwise is an invitation to trouble." Being a hardcore Muse fan I take more than a little notice at news that Deap Vally recently opened for the prog trio on tour in Helsinki (Finland), Tallinn (Estonia), Riga (Latvia), and Hamburg (Germany). Muse wouldn't allow just anyone to help them hoist the rock banner overseas. The femme duo has drawn comparisons to The Black Keys, another point of flattery in their favor. At this time any confirmations of artistic brotherhood between the two acts will have to wait. Deap Vally just got cranking in 2011. The Black Keys are possessed of a poke in the ribcage sense of humor to go with their trademark blues rock delicacies. At least the ladies have an untainted edge to what they offer. Whether or not the roughest edges need to be sanded over has yet to be determined. Right now potential is what Deap Vally has on its side. That's a promising step one. By staying roots rock oriented there could easily be other steps to visit as the decade progresses.