Album review: Death Vessel – Island Intervals (Sub Pop)

If traditional folk revivalist Joel Thibadeau’s past records bring to mind blissful campfire scenes, his third album conjures up windswept forests and stark, barren mountains. Recorded in Reykjavik with SigurRós collaborator Alex Somers and múm’sSamuliKosminen, the frosty twinkles and skittery beats complement the Rhode Island-based Thibadeau’s alt-folk leanings. While the hymnal ‘Ilsa Drown’ benefits from Jónsi’s eerie croon, there are times when the tracks try to imitate his collaborators’ lush dreamscapes without reaching their intimate beauty. However, when the frantic ‘Island Vapors’ arrives with crashing drums and Thibadeau’s swooping falsetto, it shows how original and bracing this album could have been.

7/10

DIG IT? DIG DEEPER: SIGUR RÓS, MÚM, LOW

Published in Issue 92 of Clash magazine.