Dehd - Water

Sometimes you like the concept the band starts out with and you really want to like their album. Or there are a few songs, singles-ready stuff, you know, the old-fashioned vinyl 45 single, that show true promise and you just can’t wait to hear the whole album.

Exactly the feeling created by the Chicago trio Dehd, and a few songs like their designated single “Lucky”, “Lake” or “Happy Again”. It is that old teenage rush guitar-driven stuff with some off the cuff vocals. So no wonder there were high expectations for their debut album Water.

And yes, all the above-mentioned songs are there, and a few others, like the opener “Wild” that do make perfect material for good singles. But then, there’s a problem - a handful of good singles does not necessarily make a great album, and that is a problem Dehd are facing with their debut.

Dehd follow the line set by Beat Happening’s Calvin Johnson and his K Records - keep things as simple as possible - guitar, vocals, rhythm section and say what you have to say in the shortest time possible. But for that to truly work you have to have a good thread, some kind of musical and emotional cement to keep things working through a set of songs that make an album.

Actually, Dehd, or to be precise, two of its members, Jason Balla and Emily Kempf (Eric McGrady is there too) have a theme for the album - it is their break up as emotional partners.

But the problem is that, somehow, the idea is not felt throughout the whole album, the songs just do not gel together, and even though practically each song can stand on its own, with some being better than others, Water doesn’t come out as an album, after a while, you get a feeling, that Dehd are circling along the same line without any movement either forward or backward.

Mind you, some good potential singles here, still, maybe Dehd should do some serious thinking on how to proceed. Better luck next time around.