Contempt! by Slim Twig is a remarkably confusing and unpleasant album. It’s comprised of found sound and extensive sampling, with Slim Twig talk-singing his lyrics over the resulting noise. There is nothing familiar for the average listener to identify with. It is extremely unconventional – not in a cool, indie way though, but rather in a scary and disconcerting way. The only way to describe Contempt! is to imagine listening to the dance troupe Stomp. Just take out all the catchy beats and musical integrity, and instead layer the sound of radio static over the screeching noise you hear when you call a fax machine. Then have a tone deaf individual sing over top and throw in tuneless, heavily distorted guitar riffs for good measure. In the rebellion against traditional sound, artists like Slim Twig give new music a bad name. The average listener will walk away from this album dazed and confused.

Published in Volume 64, Number 4 of The Uniter (September 24, 2009)