Contempt! is the forthcoming debut album from Toronto musician/actor Slim Twig. The album will be available April 28th in Canada and May 19th in the US.
The album combines lo-fi production techniques with swirling electronics and a found sound theme. On some tracks, like the frenetic opener "Young Hussies" or the piano plunker "Estate Intrusion", this combination works relatively well.
Unfortunately, Slim Twig too often relies too heavily on the melodramatic effects as the focal point of the music. The results on those tracks range from dull, like the broken doorbell buzzer sound on "Alley Spying", to downright irritating ("Phantasm Inquest").
The lyrics seem like they are treated as a nuisance. For the most part they are pretty vapid. Slim Twig relies on repetition and delivery more than message.
His vocals are a surprising strong point. With the exception of the decent rap delivery on "Gate Hearing (Redux)", Slim Twig's vocals are reminiscent of The Idiot-era Iggy Pop.
One has to appreciate Slim Twig's attempt to step out beyond the indie folky with an acoustic guitar sound that we are hearing far too frequently these days. However, too often Contempt! comes across as an exercise in weirdness for weirdness' sake.
Slim Twig has a series of shows coming up in southern Ontario including:
- Hamilton, The Casbah, May 6th
- Guelph, Jimmy Jazz, May 7th
- Peterborough, Montreal House, May 16th
- Toronto, The Horseshoe, May 29th
Best tracks: "Young Hussies", "Gate Hearing (Redux)"
Track listing for Contempt!:
- Young Hussies
- Patty Ann
- Alley Spying
- Mansion Haunting
- Hidden
- Phantasm Inquest
- Estate Intrusion
- Gate Hearing (Redux)
- Japanese Machines
- Tenement Watching
- Sybarites, Etc.
- Spirit Hunting
3.5/10
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