Gary War (a bloke whose wares I’ve somehow never heard outside of his Ariel Pink membership despite his busy nature and my close scene proximity, relatively speaking) and Robert Thomas of Sunburned Hand Of The Man are Dalthom. In reality, that’s all many of you need to know, along with the harrowing fact that only 300 copies of Frame Slip exist. For those of you unfamiliar with either of these fellers, well, for one, god help you, and for two, GOD HELP YOU! For three? God help Dalthom, as they need to reach as many people as possible, the way I see it (note to self: stop forcing your underground sounds on everyone around you). This sleek slab of black vinyl yields atmospheres and synth twirls I always expected from an Emeralds LP and never quite received, along with wisps of wonderfully composed acoustic guitar that take the arrangements to a whole new level. And that’s good, because there’s more than enough time to get bored or synth-logged over two full sides of randomness. Dalthom represent purpose, presence, and the infinite possibilities of two pan-fried brains working overtime to complement one another. I was never a huge MV + EE guy, but I understood their appeal, and there’s a bit of that dusty folk-noise essence here, though it’s swarmed by those synths and the many other patches/etc. that are fed through the mix and ejected without much thought or care. And that’s half the fun. Even the slow-motion, seemingly pitch-bent vocals don’t push the issue, melting into the compositions like butter and soaking into your speakers like silky blobs of honey. Two sidelong pieces, 20-odd minutes each? Natch! Traces of Joe Meek, No-Neck, Sunburned Hand, and Edward Ka-Spel? Obviously! A longtime exp-muz shaman and punk maverick joining forces? (Hello.) Yep, it’s all happening through the purple-pink-peach-colored prism of Frame Slip, and while it’s reminiscent of a lot of the longform tape-drone projects that have crossed my desk, Dalthom up the ante considerably by dint of their effortless agility (developed over years of practice on the part of both players), skipping from genre to genre handily and even dipping briefly into a parody of metal origins (hear it for yourself early on Side B, you won’t regret it) until they land on an aural aesthetic that absolutely demands a few moments be spent to flesh it out. Perhaps to truly EFF with our minds, Frame Slip gets weirder as it goes, especially on the flip, wherein a quasi-funk flow makes for interesting, if not as enthralling as the rest, diversion that emphasizes the confidence and easy nature of both members. Dalthom sick, Dalthom mad, DALTHOM SMASH EXPECTATIONS!!! And other such pleasantries…
More about: Dalthom
