Blow your mind to Slim Twig's surreal psych-pop

Slim Twig

"Thank You for Stickin' with Twig"

Release date: 07 August 2015

7.5/10

Slim Twig Thank You For Stickin with the Twig

05 August 2015, 11:30 | Written by Kate Travers

(Albums)

(Slim Twig)

Slim Twig is a big pile of the unexpected. You’ve may never have heard of him, but in his twenty six or so years this guy (otherwise known as Max Turnbull) has put out five LPs, scored two films, and also explored an acting career. He was also the producer behind two U.S. Girls LPs.

It's only now that Twig is getting the attention his output deserves. He was recently picked up by DFA Records (you know, James Murphy's one), who reissued his last LP in 2014. Don't be fooled though - there's nothing here that you would expect from the usual DFA signings.

Slim Twig - the Salvador Dali of alternative music, complete with pretentious facial hair - takes pop and warps it. Tracks such as “... Out Of My Mind” are the melting clocks set in an unfamiliar landscape of psychic weirdness.

The single unifying quality of the album is its complete inability to stick within the bounds of any recognisable genre for more than three minutes at a time. “Fog of Sex (N.S.I.S)” revolves around a down-and-dirty bass line, while “She Stickin With Twig” is a slice of orchestral baroque pop which verges on twee. The overdrive guitar of “Textiles on Mainstreet” carries all the aggression of heavy machinery. “Fade Out Killer”, meanwhile, offers the kind of hazy, psychedelic pop which is not a million miles away from Unknown Mortal Orchestra.

Thank You for Stickin' with Twig is a riotous mess of electronic alterity. Press play and take the trip.