Review: Josh Small “s/t” CD

The label has referred to this stuff as "bluegrass-folk", and I guess that makes sense. I don't listen to much of anything that would fall into such a category, and I'm not all that big on this, but that terminology seems to fit, and this is pretty enjoyable for what it is. It does bear resemblance to a lot of the singer/songwriter stuff that seems to have been growing in popularity in indie circles over the last several years, though to my inexperienced ears some of this does have more of a subtle country flare (tactfully so, I fucking hate country music so if it went too far I'd puke). It's basically a one-man show with banjo, slide guitar, mandolin, and twangy singing vocals, with a few guests lending a hand to lay down some vocal harmonies. Some of the vocal work has a slightly lighthearted tinge at times (sometimes unintentionally - "Fall Motherfuckers Fall", for example, just sounds off because the word "motherfucker" simply doesn't fit the aesthetic of the delivery), and I'm not into that per se, but there are definitely a lot of tracks that are more somber and heartfelt (check out "Setting Up"), and that stuff is pretty god damn effective. "Crying of Bunker 49" has a lot of layered instrumentation that creates some nice effects and really fills the space more than most of the other pieces, "2 x 2" is another of the more emotional pieces (probably my favorite song herein), etc. I like the sound quality because it's really raw but it works nicely. It's not so raw that it sounds fucked up at all, it's really pretty good, but the instrumentation definitely has a warm distance to it, and there are minor inconsistencies throughout that add some character to the performances as well. It's clear too, so that's cool. The disc is housed in a full color gatefold digipack sleeve with lots of trippy artwork using bright colors and abstract patterns. A xeroxed insert is included for the credits, but that's about it. I'm not sure I feel like the artwork matches the music, and I think a different/stronger visual representation could create a more effective element to go along with the better half of this disc, but it still looks decent. Not bad overall. Admittedly I kind of thought it would suck, but I'm pleasantly surprised. I do think the more serious and pointed side of the songwriting is far superior to the songs that seem... I don't know... nothing seems humorous, and it all comes across as pretty serious, but it's weird, because it seems like any song in which the lyrics start cussing sounds goofy and doesn't fit, you know? I'm a little torn on that one. But the playing and everything is nice and a couple of the most consistent compositions herein could make a great little 7", so... I'm not turned away. I kind of like it.