Death Vessel

Essentially a solo vehicle for Providence, Rhode Island-based guitarist and singer/songwriter Joel Thibodeau, Death Vessel channels the pastoral country-folk soul of Gram Parsons while holding true to the experimental nature of modern alternative folk acts like Iron & Wine, Thao Nguyen, and Devendra Banhart. Born in Germany, Thibodeau, who possesses an impressive falsetto, spent his formative years on the East Coast, splitting his time between Boston, Providence, and New York City. He released his first album under the Death Vessel moniker, Stay Close, in 2005, followed by his Sub Pop debut, Nothing Is Precious Enough for Us, in 2008, which he supported touring with the likes of Low, José González, and the Books. The follow-up would come six years later in the form of 2014's Island Intervals. For this lush and icy album, Thibodeau traveled to Reykjavik, Iceland and employed production help from Sigur Rós collaborator Alex Somers and Múm's Samuli Kosminen.