Death Vessel: Island Intervals

Decamping to Iceland to record his third album was a canny move for Joel Thobideau, aka Death Vessel. Not only does the Berlin-born, Rhode Island-based musician share a spiritual kinship with that sort of beautiful, stark landscape, but recording with Jónsi collaborator/producer Alex Somers makes sense in light of his fragile approach. These may be songs of great beauty, but they are also robust: Thobideau experiments with rhythm and dark undercurrents on the tumultuous rattle and clank of Island Vapors and Velvet Antlers , the latter's almost tribal beat in curious conflict with his airy, delicate soprano. Perhaps unsurprisingly, Jónsi makes a guest appearance on the slow blossom of Isla Drown , but his clipped falsetto doesn't overpower the tune. Thobideau writes songs that are often oddly constructed, but there is method to his sporadic madness, nonetheless. deathvessel.com
Download: Velvet Antlers, Isla Drown