The NEIU Independent

Issue date: 4/28/09 Section: Entertainment

Media Credit: tracermagazine.com

The Deep Vibration, a talented and self described rock and roll band that plays only American music, released a short EP called "Veracruz," and it's pretty good. There's just one thing that bugs me about it now, and is definitely going to keep bugging me. It's Matt Campbell, the vocalist/guitarist for the four-piece band. His singing is really bad. I spent half of the EP wondering exactly what lyrics he could have possibly been singing.

To be fair, not all musicians who have achieved greatness also managed to back up their songs with good vocals. Bob Dylan is a good example of a famous artist who probably shouldn't have been singing. George Harrison is another. While the vocals tend to be pretty bad for the most part, with the exception of the fifth song, "Tennessee Rose," the instrumentals tend to be pretty good. There's a genuine retro feel in the sound of it all, and it's all delivered with an appealing scene of style.

Looking at the lyrics of the songs is pretty difficult for me because I didn't really understand what Matt was singing. Sometimes his vocals were indecipherable, sometimes it sounded like he just sang that he had no pants (in the song "Thanks to You"). "Tennessee Rose" showcases the most distinguishable lyrics, along with the worst and the best. The best is a chorus that tries to imagine a better life away from a past left behind, while the worst is, "Like the hair on your head I'm always thinking of you!"

The band, though fairly young, is already pretty busy, with a concert schedule ongoing for the next few months. Looking at the locations that they tour goes to show the type of audience that the music is played for. May begins with two shows in Tennessee; then there are two shows in North Carolina. Afterwards it's back to Tennessee; then it's on to New York, New Jersey, etc. All of their shows run from the center of America and to the East Coast, without venturing further west. It makes "Tennessee Rose" a little bit more interesting, as it is about a man heading to Sante Fe, New Mexico, and can't find a better time out west than what he had in Tennessee.

I'd say the band is definitely worth a look. They're still a bit raw, but their presentation is earnest and authentic. Are you curious about The Deep Vibration yet? Then stop by their Web site, at http://www.thedeepvibration.com.

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