SJ Esau - Wrong Faced Cat Feed Collapse

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RIYL

Clann Zu
Animal Collective
cLOUDDEAD
Thee More Shallows

Tracklist

1. untitled 1
2. Cat Track (he has no balls)
3. The Wrong Order
4. Geography (donkey dancing in the bath)
5. Idioty
6. Wears the Control
7. untitled 2
8. untitled 3
9. I Got a Bad
10. All Agog
11. Queezy Beliefs
12. Halfway Up the Pathway
13. Lazy Eye

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Given that SJ Esau’s new album is titled Wrong Faced Cat Feed Collapse and contains many similarly longwinded song names – “Geography (donkey dancing in the bath),” for example – as well as three untitled tracks, my first listen was shrouded by a thick fog of skepticism. Don’t get me wrong; I’m as pretentious as the next audiophile with elitist tendencies, but there are certain things even my stomach can’t handle, and this album emits a nauseatingly ostentatious vibe at first glance. Thankfully, such preconceptions turn out to be almost entirely unwarranted because Esau has prepared a solid, sometimes ambling but undeniably tasty, meal of eclectic modern indie rock.

As Wrong Faced Cat Feed Collapse commences, however, there are a few moments in which Esau’s obvious DIY roots show through and the experimental opening track encourages my initial trepidation (such things are great in small doses, but threaten to devolve into self-indulgent noodling if treated otherwise), but all fears are instantly washed away as “untitled 1” transitions smoothly into “Cat Track (he has no balls),” which begins with folky guitar work and electronically distorted piano backed slickly by Esau’s haunting, silk-over-gravel vocals. Just as the pace warns of a grinding halt, a group of violins dance forth in a fierce swirl of melody that’s reminiscent of the late Clann Zu’s most aggressive work. This pattern foreshadows the remainder of the LP, which contains a vigorous soft-loud dynamic throughout while never losing sight of its playful experimentation and spontaneity.

This is, in fact, also one of the album’s faults: an excess of ideas that result in a vaguely unfocused musical experience. In certain cases, this overabundance causes Esau to freeze up, forcing his songs into repetitive patterns such as on “I Got a Bad,” a track that features a tedious, persistent baseline and lyrics that layer the line “I got a bad idea” more times than I wish to count. During these wandering moments, the music is not in any way terrible; it merely fades into the background, failing to grab and hold the listener’s attention. These issues are lamentably a bit more common than one might wish, resulting in an occasionally hit-and-miss experience.

Fortunately, they do not bring down Wrong Faced Cat Feed Collapse. The album is brimming with dexterous creativity that shines during most tracks, especially in songs like “Halfway Up the Path,” a late indie-folk change-up that will take you by surprise and set your foot a-tapping. It’s these instances that really show what SJ Esau can do with all his obvious song-writing abilities and meticulous musical craftsmanship. This LP is truly a joyful listen, one that exudes enough personality and imagination to demand consideration even as its stumbles. If SJ Esau can iron out the awkward wrinkles, his next release could very well fulfill the potential hinted at by this one.

--Scott Miller

Last updated: 09/29/2009 08:55PM

Comments

daganjatribe
03/23/2007
12:30PM
Location
Austin
the RIYL's are enough to make me check them out

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