What it would have been like if the Beatles had done an album of murder ballads instead of recording Rubber Soul

"New England neo-traditional folk band String Builder has taken its cues from both Freakwater and the Freight Hoppers, making warmly acoustic, traditional-styled music with a dark, almost disturbing undercurrent. This is music from people who have equally embraced their copies of Harry Smith's Anthology of American Folk Music and the entire Pixies catalog, and the results are truly engaging. The wryly tongue-in-cheek 'Let's Make Industry History' contrasts nicely with the banjo-driven 'Cataract Revolver,' which sounds almost like what it would have been like if the Beatles had done an album of murder ballads instead of recording Rubber Soul..." -- Allmusic

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Biography: In the late 1990s brothers Alec and Joel Thibodeau formed String Builder, honing their songwriting partnership with an acoustic based sound reminiscent of earlier American musical traditions. After experimenting on their own 4-track machines, the brothers met Pete Donnelly, who had built an analog recording studio at his apartment in Providence, Rhode Island. During 1998 and 1999 Pete engineered several sessions with String Builder, recording over a dozen songs on reel-to-reel tape. The resulting compilation is String Builder's debut album, Mortar, which the band self-released as 50 cassette tapes in 1999 on the eve of its two-month USA tour via Greyhound buses. Most songs on Mortar have spare arrangements, with just vocals and acoustic guitars. A few tracks, including "Lakeview" (simultaneously released in 1999 as a single on Grimsey Records), feature expanded instrumentation: Alec and Joel's electric guitars, electric bass, harmonica, lap steel and fiddle -- plus Pete's contributions on air organ, drums and percussion. In 2000 String Builder issued a CD version of Mortar's cassette through Japan's Contact Records. During the following two years the band welcomed more musicians into its line-up, releasing additional singles and a self-titled album. Since then Joel has formed Death Vessel, making continued use of his distinct singing style. The brothers still perform together on rare occasions.