Small Vessel
title: "Small Vessel" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["2008-albums", "anticon-albums", "sj-esau-albums"] topic_path: "arts/music" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Small_Vessel" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0
::data[format=table title="Infobox album"]
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| name | Small Vessel |
| type | studio |
| artist | SJ Esau |
| cover | Small Vessel.png |
| released | |
| genre | Indie rock |
| length | |
| label | Anticon |
| producer | SJ Esau |
| prev_title | Wrong Faced Cat Feed Collapse |
| prev_year | 2007 |
| next_title | Exploding Views |
| next_year | 2014 |
| :: |
| name = Small Vessel | type = studio | artist = SJ Esau | cover = Small Vessel.png | alt = | released = | recorded = | venue = | studio = | genre = Indie rock | length = | label = Anticon | producer = SJ Esau | prev_title = Wrong Faced Cat Feed Collapse | prev_year = 2007 | next_title = Exploding Views | next_year = 2014 Small Vessel is the second studio album by British indie rock musician SJ Esau. It was released on Anticon in 2008.
Critical reception
| rev1 = Cokemachineglow | rev1score = 74% | rev2 = Pitchfork | rev2score = 3.6/10 | rev3 = PopMatters | rev3score = | rev4 = Tiny Mix Tapes | rev4score = 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." 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." 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." Evan McGarvey of Pitchfork gave the album a 3.6 out of 10, stating that "Small Vessels 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."
Track listing
| all_writing = Sam Wisternoff | title1 = (Untitled) | length1 = 0:07 | title2 = Frustrating | length2 = 2:47 | title3 = Small Vessel | length3 = 0:18 | title4 = Bastard Eyes | length4 = 3:44 | title5 = I Threw a Wobbly | length5 = 3:05 | title6 = Under Certain Things | length6 = 4:35 | title7 = Bubblehead | length7 = 2:28 | title8 = (Untitled) | length8 = 0:06 | title9 = Ruddy Spark | length9 = 1:53 | title10 = The Small Percent | length10 = 3:39 | title11 = Slate | length11 = 1:26 | title12 = Death Perception Lack | length12 = 3:16 | title13 = Human Annoyed | length13 = 1:40 | title14 = (Untitled) | length14 = 1:01 | title15 = What Happen'd | length15 = 4:14 | total_length = 34:20
References
References
- "Top Page". [[Anticon]].
- McGowan, Colin. (July 17, 2008). "SJ Esau: Small Vessel". [[Cokemachineglow]].
- McGarvey, Evan. (August 26, 2008). "SJ Esau: Small Vessel". [[Pitchfork (website).
- Martin, Andrew. (July 31, 2008). "SJ Esau: Small Vessel".
- Gurney, Dave. (August 8, 2008). "SJ Esau - Small Vessels". [[Tiny Mix Tapes]].
- Rinaldi, Matt. "Small Vessel - SJ Esau". [[AllMusic]].
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