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Small Vessel

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Small Vessel
Studio album by
Released24 June 2008 (2008-06-24)
GenreIndie rock
Length34:20
LabelAnticon
ProducerSJ Esau
SJ Esau chronology
Wrong Faced Cat Feed Collapse
(2007)
Small Vessel
(2008)
Exploding Views
(2014)

Small Vessel is the second studio album by British indie rock musician SJ Esau. It was released on Anticon in 2008.[1]

Critical reception

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Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Cokemachineglow74%[2]
Pitchfork3.6/10[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

[edit]

All tracks are written by Sam Wisternoff

No.TitleLength
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

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  1. ^ "Top Page". Anticon. Archived from the original on 13 September 2008. Retrieved 18 October 2022.
  2. ^ McGowan, Colin (17 July 2008). "SJ Esau: Small Vessel". Cokemachineglow. Archived from the original on 15 September 2012. Retrieved 18 October 2022.
  3. ^ a b McGarvey, Evan (26 August 2008). "SJ Esau: Small Vessel". Pitchfork. Archived from the original on 18 April 2015. Retrieved 18 October 2022.
  4. ^ Martin, Andrew (31 July 2008). "SJ Esau: Small Vessel". PopMatters. Archived from the original on 24 September 2015. Retrieved 18 October 2022.
  5. ^ 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.
  6. ^ Rinaldi, Matt. "Small Vessel - SJ Esau". AllMusic. Archived from the original on 30 November 2021. Retrieved 18 October 2022.
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