Small Vessel
| Small Vessel | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 24 June 2008 | |||
| Genre | Indie rock | |||
| Length | 34:20 | |||
| Label | Anticon | |||
| Producer | SJ Esau | |||
| SJ Esau chronology | ||||
| ||||
Small Vessel is the second studio album by British indie rock musician SJ Esau. It was released on Anticon in 2008.[1]
Critical reception
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Cokemachineglow | 74%[2] |
| Pitchfork | 3.6/10[3] |
| PopMatters |   [4] |
| Tiny Mix Tapes | [5] |
Matt Rinaldi of AllMusic commented that Small Vessel "continues in the same genre-bending vein as its predecessor, blending elements of indie rock, folk, hip-hop, house, techno-pop, and industrial to create an end-product that is delightfully disorienting."[6] Dave Gurney of Tiny Mix Tapes gave the album 3 stars out of 5, writing, "Like being let into a friend's bedroom studio while he or she pores over partially and/or cryptically labeled tapes containing songs and experiments at varying states of completion, SJ Esau's sophomore effort Small Vessels has the initially intoxicating feeling of being let in on a secret treasure trove of restless musical creativity."[5] He added, "Untitled bits of sonic debris mix with false starts of songs; hushed passages give way to lush arrangements of vocal and instrumental beauty bordering on the epic; and unexpected transitions and breaks suddenly expand or shrink the dynamic space in which they exist."[5] Evan McGarvey of Pitchfork gave the album a 3.6 out of 10, stating that "Small Vessel's strengths aren't unique; you can find dozens of whimsical, pseudo-surreal songwriters of this ilk (Why?, The Guillemots, Thee More Shallows, to start) who clutter their discs with fewer scribbles and less back-handed flippancy."[3]
Track listing
All tracks are written by Sam Wisternoff.
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "(Untitled)" | 0:07 |
| 2. | "Frustrating" | 2:47 |
| 3. | "Small Vessel" | 0:18 |
| 4. | "Bastard Eyes" | 3:44 |
| 5. | "I Threw a Wobbly" | 3:05 |
| 6. | "Under Certain Things" | 4:35 |
| 7. | "Bubblehead" | 2:28 |
| 8. | "(Untitled)" | 0:06 |
| 9. | "Ruddy Spark" | 1:53 |
| 10. | "The Small Percent" | 3:39 |
| 11. | "Slate" | 1:26 |
| 12. | "Death Perception Lack" | 3:16 |
| 13. | "Human Annoyed" | 1:40 |
| 14. | "(Untitled)" | 1:01 |
| 15. | "What Happen'd" | 4:14 |
| Total length: | 34:20 | |
References
- ^ "Top Page". Anticon. Archived from the original on 13 September 2008. Retrieved 18 October 2022.
- ^ McGowan, Colin (17 July 2008). "SJ Esau: Small Vessel". Cokemachineglow. Archived from the original on 15 September 2012. Retrieved 18 October 2022.
- ^ a b McGarvey, Evan (26 August 2008). "SJ Esau: Small Vessel". Pitchfork. Archived from the original on 18 April 2015. Retrieved 18 October 2022.
- ^ Martin, Andrew (31 July 2008). "SJ Esau: Small Vessel". PopMatters. Archived from the original on 24 September 2015. Retrieved 18 October 2022.
- ^ a b c Gurney, Dave (8 August 2008). "SJ Esau - Small Vessels". Tiny Mix Tapes. Archived from the original on 23 October 2014. Retrieved 18 October 2022.
- ^ Rinaldi, Matt. "Small Vessel - SJ Esau". AllMusic. Archived from the original on 30 November 2021. Retrieved 18 October 2022.
External links
- Small Vessel at Discogs (list of releases)