Despite the mildly unpleasant and potentially off-putting title, Benjamin Shaw's 'I Got the Pox, the Pox is What I Got' EP isn't nearly as nasty as all that. Quiet ambience gives way to simple acoustic balladry (in the poetic sense, rather than the more common contemporary meaning) on 'Thanks for All the Biscuits,' and again on the overtly low-fi '12,000 Sentinels.'
The vocal style may be radically different (and altogether less quirky), but there's something in the simplicity and honesty of Shaw's music that reminds me of Devendra Banhart. However, while occasionally lost to the budget production, there's a stronger sense of narrative about Shaw's songs.
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There are moments where the sleepy, alcohol-infused strums sound as though Shaw is about to drop off, but it's rather enjoyable in a disarming, self-effacing sort of a way, and regardless of Benjamin's medical conditions or general lack of self-esteem, there's a certain charm about this release.
www.audioantihero.com.
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