It’s certainly no coincidence that many of the melancholic and dreamy strands of the American indie set make their homes far away from the sun belt. What better way to fill in the long winters and gray springs than by stretching out your vocals and music until it cuts through the stillness with…pretty stillness? Portland, Maine’s Seekonk conjure delicate longing with mandolin and vibes on “Love,†and elsewhere Sarah Ramey’s vocals wrap around you like a blanket (especially on “Air,†which as yet is only available on MySpace). Yes, summer is on its way, and though Seekonk finds its muse in the snowy north, the life it evokes sounds good in all seasons.
death vessel
Death Vessel is Joel Thibodeau, a slight New Englander with a face that could tell a story all by itself. But since you can’t see him, what you’ll remember is his singular falsetto, an energetic chirp with the Celtic gusto of Gospel Oak era Sinead O’ Connor and the front-porch personality of Gillian Welch. It’s all in service of lyrics with a Dylan-esque, both Bob and Thomas, sense of the fantastic and the melancholy in this thing called living. Sit with him for a few and let him sing you some songs.