No, Joel Thibodeau is not a girl. Though the Death Vessel mastermind, whose falsetto matches his pixielike stature and long hair, is probably used to people making that mistake. On Thibodeau's Sub Pop debut, his voice is as delicate as Juliana Hatfield's, threading wispy notes into haunting ballads that crib from the backwoods folk of acts like Iron and Wine. The result evokes a makeshift jam session in an Appalachian cabin: fingerpicked ditties like "Block My Eye" and "Jitterakadie" use railroad spikes and wineglasses as percussive instruments; the honky-tonk rag "The Widening" builds its old-timey vibe on a cornet and a flukulele; and "Bruno's Torso" beefs up its airy acoustic melody with marching-band drums. The lyrics remain cryptic: On the slow-burner "Peninsula," Thibodeau rhymes "bejesus needed more" with "neonatal ward." But his soft, childlike delivery strips the words of all pretension with an innocence that's as wrenching as the best current singer-songwriters. Feist had better watch her back.