The latest album from Joel Thibodeau’s Death Vessel, Island Intervals, is an interesting demonstration of what is going on in Thibodeau’s musical world. He has won critics love with his previous releases, and from what I can tell he should see more of the same with this latest output of tunes.

The album begins with almost an industrial/Tom Waits feel on the song “Ejecta” before morphing into the haunting sounds that litter Thibodeau’s music. While the songs have an ethereal quality to them, there is a folksy undertone deep within the music that brings out something different. The song “Mercury Dime” has a classic country beat but with the inclusion of organs, xylophones and Thibodeau’s ageless, androgynous vocals it becomes an entirely different entity. Assisted by Jonsi (Sigur Ros), the heavenly “Ilsa Drown” has an expansive soundscape that will delight your ears, while on the opposite scale, “Velvet Antlers” counters the spacey sounds with booming rhythms.

The collaboration with Jonsi and Alex Somers has been fruitful because their finger prints are evident throughout the album. Taking rootsy rhythms and complimenting them with celestial melodies is a concept that is successfully executed creating an original sound that will appeal to a wide range of music listeners.

(Sub Pop Records, 2013 Fourth Avenue, Third Floor, Seattle, WA 98121)