Slim Twig on Calico Corp Records

Got another single in from Calico Corp Records, this one from the label founder himself, Slim Twig and his unique crooning baritone delivery over these madman carnival synth numbers.

A-Side's "There's a secret to your pleasure" is alien sounding keys swirling into harsh synth melodies and a warm, buried beat. A crazy variety of synth tones working all over this one in delivering a pop psyche future sound. Slim Twig's got a low, baritone vocal... a poppy sounding Tom Waits, you get the feeling there's an unsettling carnival going on here. Here's the ringleader sucking you in. But I don't know any better Slim? That's how I'm gonna getcha! Then this number turns glam rock with a huge reverb and the vocals doubling back on themselves. What's that? A twinkly sounding Elvis hammond organ? How Slim manages to use that familiar verse chorus verse structure but with a completely unique set of subtle sounds is a mystery. There's an epic prog rock feel to this but with a really deft synth hand that comes from pushing the layers of melodies, and working the early seventies to the late 80's video game 8bit sounds. Lush layers of Slims vocal harmonies, the breathy airy lyric alongside these future sounds.

B-Side's "Pastiche" has a darker creepy feel with large, raw, crunchy blues bits of yelp vocal, but mostly synth stepping in for the ususal guitar melody, just realizing now in fact that there's not a single guitar anywhere on this single. They've been successfully substituting synth for the crunky guitar sounds from post-punk you're usually looking for. Like Mattress, Slim is almost a cabaret character in this elizabethian clockwork orange future. Monocles and brain chip implants, and eye cutters. There's a back and forth between Slim and Slim at the end that stops this journey in it's tracks, a quick burst of electro-nightmare and it's over.

Heavy vinyl, with monchromatic red sleeve...great photo.

Get it from Calico Corp. Records:

Preview of Palmist Records split series!

Been meaning to check out at least one of these split 12"'s from Palmist Records, Fatcat Records sister label specializing in these exclusive tracks from a lot of really great bands. A great cohesive package, down to the Trouble in Mind style sleeves, of splits from the very inception. I appreciate a label like Mississippi Records that comes out of the gate from the first release with a look like this and then curating a particular bunch of sounds the whole way...

First up is their US Girls/Slim Twig split, The US Girls on the preview track sound like they're going all out on that Shangri-La sound, heavy reverb on the layered harmony vocals with tambourine all shrouded in this spooky haze. Slim Twig is a solo project that recently has evolved into this live incarnation, rooted similarly in a psyche organ sound with Slim's vibrato bass vocal, a very weird carnival ride.

Palmist says united them on this split goes even further:
each artist's participates in the other's side; Slim Twig co-produced and recorded Remy's side, while the U.S. Girl lent her pipes to Twig's 'Priscilla'. 

Next up is a a couple of damaged sounding punk acts, The Bitches who are a London based guy/girl duo, drums and scuzzy bass coming together in a Nu Sensae edge of experimental sound way. A towering wall of fuzzy rhythm, one hell of a racket yelling back and forth, like Divorce. Played loud and packing a full length amount of tracks on one side. The flip side features Yuppies, who are taking me back to The Sediment Club's roomy vocal and post punk jagged riffing. All energy and off kilter sounds, falling apart completely punk.

Then they dropped this Whines/Burning Yellows preorder, a perfect combo.

They have five so far, all handnumbered in an edition of 500 and up for sale on the Palmist site, get ready for some overseas shipping, but I've seen these everywhere locally, Permanent Records in greenpoint has a selection of these, so they are definitely carried by the big US distro's stateside.