Based in New Jersey, husband-and-wife indie folk duo
Ben + Vesper craft gentle guitar- and accordion-fueled pop oddities echoing the work of
the Handsome Family,
Half-Handed Cloud, and
Ida. After solidifying their sound on both the stage and in the studio, the former art school students sent a demo to
Danielson Famile mastermind
Daniel Smith, resulting in the 2006 EP
More Questions, which was released by
Smith's own Sounds Familyre label. The duo's first full-length album, 2007's
All This Could Kill You, featured appearances by frequent
Smith collaborators Elin and
David Smith, as well as family friend
Sufjan Stevens.
Ben + Vesper worked with
Stevens again in 2010, when he produced, arranged, and recorded their five-song
LuvInIdleness EP. One year later, the duo released its second album,
HONORS, which featured appearances by the usual indie suspects (including
Stevens,
Danielson's Josh Stamper, and two members of
Holler, Wild Rose!). ~ James Christopher Monger