Benjamin Shaw  - EP - I Got The Pox, The Pox is What I Got

As the nation emerges from its alcohol induced stupor into the harsh light of another sub-zero January, we brace ourselves for twelve months of anodyne, mass produced mainstream bollocks being funnelled down our throats like some kind of warped foie gras production line. For those of us who would quite frankly rather chisel our ears off than be exposed to yet another insipid series of X Factor,(shudder) such musical anomalies as London resident Benjamin Shaw’s unsettling, truly alternative and affecting solo compositions are priceless.

Complementing the beautiful fragility of his voice with a range of atonal electronic touches and discreetly introduced instrumentation, Shaw’s debut EP ‘I got the pox, the pox is what I got’ is worlds apart from much that you’ll hear in 2010, and all the better for it. Don’t get me wrong however: I’m not suggesting that ‘I got...’ is worthy of attention purely due to its refreshing approach in the current musical climate, as ‘Chocolate Girl,’ ‘Thanks For The Biscuits’ et al haunt and confound the listener in a manner that’s indicative of truly memorable, though oblique and sometimes impenetrable art. These six tracks of folky, blackly humorous and intriguing narrative driven discomfort could gather a modest cult following if encountered by the right pairs of ears and unsuspecting minds, and with Shaw setting himself few clear stylistic boundaries as of yet, it’s anyone’s guess where he could take his music from here. A word of warning however, those fresh from the holiday hangover should perhaps steer clear of the concluding title track, lest you find yourselves overcome with flashbacks of crawling groggily to the bathroom in time to empty your wine blackened guts, something that Shaw sums up succinctly (and with brutal honesty.) Not one for the tween crowd then, but underground notoriety beckons.