Deelay Ceelay, “No Vex,” Thank You (Self-Released)-- Local Cut

Deelay Ceelay, “No Vex,” Thank You (Self-Released)

June 30th, 2009 [5:46PM] Posted by: Michael Mannheimer | 5 COMMENTS

When you think of a summer jam, a skittering instrumental number is hardly the first thing that pops into your mind. Still, we’re pretty deep into the summer season (which starts, by my count, on memorial day) by now, and nothing has really come close to establishing itself as the song that blasts out of car windows and backyard BBQs. No “Umbrella,” no “Crazy in Love”—hell, at this point the best contenders might be Phoenix (awesome, but French) and the dude’s behind the “Combination Pizza Hut and Taco Bell” song.

On a local level, though, I have a hard time arguing against the inclusion of Deelay Ceelay’s “No Vex” on any summer playlist. Coming off like Ratatat with less guitar posturing and thudding beats, “No Vex” is an airy and infectious slice of electro pop, riding the dual drumming of Chris Lael Larson and Delaney Kelly and some of the brightest synths you’ve ever heard. Opening with a catchy guitar figure (one that stopped a WW staffer more than once to ask if the disc was skipping), the song gradually builds but never feels forced; when the loops and gurgles and keys come in, it’s still that ringing guitar that carries you through the whole thing, holding your hand and leading you to the end. So maybe nobody’s dropped the definitive, ubiquitous summer jam yet. In the meantime, you’ll probably see me listening to “No Vex” while I’m firing up the grill in my yard.

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Links:
Deelay CeelaySpace

Photo courtesy of Deelay Ceelay

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