Benjamin Shaw - I Got the Pox, the Pox is What I Got

In an age when digital technology has made pristine sound quality available to anyone with a decent laptop, going lo-fi has become a statement in itself: I'm a warm-blooded, imperfect human, not some auto-tuned puppet! This EP from Londoner Benjamin Shaw is about as lo-fi as it gets. Cast mostly in lazily strummed guitar, cheap-sounding organ, knee drumming and a low background thrum, it's defiantly ramshackle. But as Bon Iver's success proves, such modest techniques can actually enrich the lifeblood of the songwriting. While the middle thrust of these five songs is suitably direct (especially the offbeat 12000 Sentinels and the low-key story of loss that is Chocolate Girl) the only fear is that Shaw's underwhelming style may fail to attract the attention it deserves. [Nick Mitchell]