Death Vessel - Stay Close (2004)

Its the name for a craft that carries you to the other side, but Death Vessel makes the trip a beautiful safari. Led by Joel Thibodeau (String Builder), the centerpiece is his soaring soprano voice. After watching him sing, you can walk down the street imagining the most disheveled of hobos bursting into pitch-perfect Puccini arias. Former Purple Ivy Shadows guitarist Erik Carlson (now of Area C) lends massive textures that immaculately support Thibodeaus guitar and voice. Recorded by Figgs singer and bassist Pete Donnelly, who makes a few musical appearances here, the album sounds like a classic record that might be gathering dust next to your great-uncles old Johnny Cash albums, but is simultaneously an odd pastiche that doesnt seem to fit anywhere at all.

"What lends Death Vessel its unique charm is Thibodeau's voice...with an underlying inquisitiveness that's distinctly childlike." -- Dusted