Title: Alien Tentacle Sex EP
Release Date: May 22, 2012
Produced By: Talwst & Carlo “Illangelo” Montagenese
From: Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Released on May 22nd, Alien Tentacle Sex is the first album behind the artist called TALWST (supposedly pronounced “Tall Waist”). Hailing from Toronto, TALWST has put out three previous albums under the name of Curtis Santiago and the genre of “dance rock.” He is no stranger to the music scene, and is obviously ready to reach new horizons under his new persona. All signs point to progression and excitement as TALWST enthusiastically undergoes his transformation.TALWST certainly claims a fantastic voice and range, with talents varying from mild tenor, to hyped falsetto, to acute rapping. Throughout the album he displays a familiar tone gushing with potential influences, and becomes pleasing to the ears. In “I’d Die,” he layers his voice to create a harmony of background singers, which are promptly spliced and arranged in the style of today’s electronic music. His voice silkily seeps in, thoroughly fulfilling modern R&B in an Usher-like fashion.
While the lyrics aren’t often ideal, the timbre of his voice stands out enough to attract all the attention. In “Woman,” TALWST croons a very high and passionate falsetto, while in “Mercy Me,” listeners may detect a hint of Curtis Mayfield’s soulful sound. In “Colors,” TALWST takes on an indie tone, both in his voice and instrumental mood. Clearly, he boasts a formidable range in several categories to be a definite highlight of Alien Tentacle Sex.
Don’t let the…interesting project title discourage you from checking out this unique and soulful Toronto artist. Talwst (pronounced “tall waist”) experiments with different sounds on this project and there are definitely some gems that resulted. Keep your eyes on this artist.
Talwst – Mercy Me
