Death Vessel + The Sea and Cake at Music Hall of Williamsburg
The Sea and Cake
Death Vessel
The Music Hall of Williamsburg hosted three ultra-mellow groups on Tuesday, with tons of tenderness and appreciation in the air. Twi the Humble Feather were the first openers. If someone had dropped a pin, you could’ve heard it as the band took the stage in a compact row of dueling acoustic guitars. Their sound is as idiosyncratic as their name ‚Äì bizarre chirping, humming, and murmuring accompanied the trio of guitars as they sang about spaceships in the forest and other unintelligible topics.
Filling the next slot was Death Vessel a.k.a. singer-songwriter Joel Thibodeau, whose soprano vocals border on androgyny. He stood stoically in place for his entire set, and played a delicate set of lullaby-like songs, including ‚”Jitterakadie” and ‚”Obadiah in Oblivion.” Save for violin accompaniment on several songs, Thibodeau managed to delight the room all on his own.
They’ve been at it for quite a few years, but last night’s headliners The Sea and Cake still managed to make their fans swoon with their placid charm and expansive repertoire. On the heels of their new record Car Alarm‘s release last month, TS&C churned out a number of newer tunes, but plenty of fan favorites kept the audience cozy. The group’s comfort on stage and with their material proved a nice reminder: some indie bands can avoid the usual fizzle/burnout complex, and instead retain the elements that make them worthy in the first place ‚Äì even after a decade or longer.
Twi the Humble Feather
Death Vessel
The Sea and Cake
Photos c/o Mark Iantosca
