Customer Reviews

Nothing Is Precious Enough for Us

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What to say... The production of this recording is gorgeous, so interesting. The arrangements and musicianship on NOTHING IS PRECIOUS ENOUGH FOR US is excellent, very original in its approach, and ultimately, quite hard to define within any one genre. Oh yes, and the drumming on this is, well, it's just plain strange... But it is the voice of singer Joel Thibodeau that is oddest of all and is also what defines this and other Death Vessel recordings. Some people might run screaming from Thibodeau's near-soprano. But personally I think it's one of the most beautiful things I've heard put to vinyl in years. Like John Jacob Niles or Johnny Ray or Bob Dylan or Antony Hegarty or [insert oddball singer here], it is truly his own voice. One thing that has my mind reeling is that, for the life of me, I still can't figure out what any of these songs are actually about despite dozens of listens. Typically this would make me think the jive factor is high. But in this particular case, I chalk it up to an original vision, one that still intrigues and rewards after multiple listens. Highly recommended.

As a fan of Death Vessel's previous album Stay Close I anxiously waited for this follow up (which seemed to take forever) to see how the band would develop. From the first few listens it seemed like nothing really hit me and i almost gave up on it. But then that voice and those melodies, got into my head. You've got to hear that voice! Joel sounds like Mother Maybelle from the Carter family or some kind of Angel singing from up high (Or, as others have noted, he sings like a girl). Then slowly but surely the melodies started getting into my head and i've played the record every day since. The music is a real mish mash of styles, sometimes folky, but then out of nowhere heavy guitar. Trumpets, Choruses of voices, it all blends together perfectly and just sounds like...uh, Death Vessel. While Sub Pop's other big summer release Fleet Foxes may be getting more attention, Death Vessel is a equally fine,and dare i say more original talent, and very worth your attention. Fans of Calexico, Iron and Wine, Devendra, FF, Carter Family, etc might want to give this album a try. Highlights: Obediah in Oblivian, Bruno's Torso, Block my Eye, & Circa.

Nothing is Precious Enough For Us (2008, Sub Pop) Death Vessel's second studio album. ***1/2

Probably the most shocking thing I discovered about Death Vessel was that the singer, Joel Thibodeau, is, well... a guy. Upon my first listen to Nothing is Precious Enough For Us, I didn't for any moment doubt that the singer was a woman with a decent voice. It wasn't until I did a little research that I found that Thibodeau had quite a... unique falsetto.

The style is a very laid-back folk approach, as refreshing as Iron & Wine was when he first came about. But unlike Iron & Wine or Bon Iver, Death Vessel has a much more uppity feel to it. While there are slow moments, Nothing is Precious Enough For Us can be bouncy on numbers like the bluegrass "Obadiah in Oblivion." And Thibodeau proves to be a great composer on some of the album's earlier moments, most notably the dreamy "Block My Eye," or the innocent child-like tune "Jitterakadie." It's all relatively simple stuff, never diving into the strange studio sounds that The Shepherd's Dog has. It's about as raw as raw can get, and that's a mixed blessing, because while Death Vessel has the sincerity of his folk peers, the production values aren't as clear as an album like Fleet Foxes, which manages to both be organic and ear-friendly. Sadly, a collection of exceptional tunes is brought down a tad by hiss-tape-like production.