Slim Twig
Vernacular Violence

By Pras Rajagopalan

This release, coming on the heels of the Derelict Dialect MEP, may be the one that causes people outside Slim Twig’s fan base in Toronto to take notice. Whereas Paper Bag’s previous Slim release compiled some of his earlier work, this one showcases some of his latest efforts, with four of its five tracks taken from Slim Twig’s 2007 self-released White Fantaseee EP. And it presents a compelling artistic vision: twisted electro rockabilly featuring sordid characters like Tormen, the hearse-driving snake oil salesman, who was “well versed in witnesses and making car bombs,” his “three fucking greasy henchmen” in tow. If that isn’t enough to rouse at least passing curiosity, there’s the glowing apparition that is the ten-minute title track, a snapshot of a possessed Slim having an intimate exchange with his muse, choked with ghoulish cellos and incandescent keyboard washes. With an album due out later this year, Slim surely won’t be Toronto’s little secret for long. (Paper Bag)

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