That’s who We Are The Willows reminds me of. John Vanderslice. I’m specifically talking Cellar Door-era John Vanderslice (download They Won’t Let Me Run and Pale Horse for a sampling). And I’m talking specifically “Yellow Dress” and “A Funeral Dressed as a Birthday” (stream both here). Diehards on both sides of the aisle will cry foul, but we’re used to that. The textures that reach from the page, the subtle and potent post-productions, they’re unmistakable.

I’d originally said “a lo-fi Sigur Ros, and yes that is intended as the soaring complement it appears to be.” But I submit that John Vanderslice is a much more seaworthy comparison. And while A Collection of Sounds and Something Like the Plague will not make our top ten list, it surpasses nearly all of the albums ranked on the lists we’ve perused so far. And “Yellow Dress” is absolutely a top ten track.

The key differences are the vocals. John Vanderslice projects a street smart and mournful voice. Peter Miller, a book smart and fragile one. Oh, and Mr. Vanderslice needs to release a new album. Just sayin’.