If Emperor X has been sitting quietly, garnering critical acclaim and waiting for the right time to break out and sell a bunch of records, putting out a limited pressing EP is probably not the way he’s going to do it. But Dirt Dealership does show Chad Matheny’s lo-fi one-man band going in a slightly different direction. He’s shelved the toy keyboards that adorned his last couple full-lengths, bought a banjo and settled down with his inner Will Oldham. The five-ish songs here are mostly comprised of acoustic guitars, handclaps, and group vocals. Of course, Matheny’s songs were always affecting before his clever production kicked in, so the shift doesn’t actually mean much. His strangely detailed personal narratives and his preoccupation with people in transit are still at the core of every song, but the newfound organic touch just makes it apparent that Matheny can make a good song sound just about any way he wants it to
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