Small Vessel
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| Small Vessel | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 24 June 2008 | |||
| Genre | Indie rock | |||
| Length | 34:20 | |||
| Label | Anticon | |||
| Producer | SJ Esau | |||
| SJ Esau chronology | ||||
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Small Vessel is the second studio album by British indie rock musician SJ Esau. It was released on Anticon in 2008.[1]
| 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]
