¡FLIST!

¡FLIST! aka Charlie Twitch, has been one of the more unusual fixtures of the Montreal scene over the last couple of years, trafficking in an unusual brand of foreboding art pop over a stream of singles and EPs and in his theatrical live performances, which feature fellow Montreal weirdos Nick Schofield from Saxsyndrum and Marc-Andre Roy of Rakam. His newest single “Fat Square” comes from his forthcoming debut LP, Fuck You I’m Dead, does much to justify the long gestation of the full-length.
Building on the apocalyptic shuffle of early Nick Cave with an anarchic, keyboard heavy arrangement, and almost rockabilly reminiscent guitar flourishes, the track builds to a paranoid and chaotic crescendo, but according to Twitch the song is, in essence, a love song. - Chart Attack

La grande surprise du 4 juillet, et du Off en ce qui me concerne, a été ¡FLIST ! , un énergumène montréalais qui se démène en secret depuis presque cinq ans et qui s’est présenté avec un batteur, un bassiste (Marc-André Roy aka Rakam) et une artiste visuelle. Le meneur Charlie Twitch se contorsionnait sur des rythmiques complètement décalées, des mélodies aux frontières du spectre harmonique et des changements abrupts de tempo. Avec des paroles comme « Let’s have a baby and let it die » et «Why should I just let you free», il était intrigant et fascinant, et il nous a donné un beau moment de complicité avec un spectateur. ¡FLIST ! a récolté une ovation et a fait un rappel plus que désiré. - BRBR - TFO

It’s hard to explain ¡FLIST!—the artist monicker of Charlie Twitch—without using the words “weird” and “Frank Zappa.” But hey, it’s in the cards when you release an EP called Songs of Love for Jewish Girls. ¡FLIST! combine prog and funk with a healthy smattering of the absurd to reach a whole new level of sincerity. Twitch has nothing to hide, and he’s inviting you to let loose with him. His two EPs are loaded with grooves and shouted truths, but in his band-backed live performances, his songs take on a fuller sound that show the deeper genius of his compositional talent and frontman charisma. Watch for another EP in 2014. - AUX

If you gravitate toward gritty art that makes your skin crawl and stomach churn a little, you’re going to dig a local act called ¡Flist!, and this video directed by ¡Flist! main man Charlie Twitch. The Songs of Love for Jewish Girls EP is out June 24 on Art Not Love Records. - Cult MTL

Fellow Montreal-er ¡FLIST!’s remix of “Les Belles Nanas” (French slang for “the pretty girls”) tempers Saxsyndrum and Emma Frank’s zippy verve in the way only ¡FLIST! can. Sounds lumber along, hang like Weeping Willows, squat, and balk, and the brass sounds fat and squished. These are all good things! - No Fear Of Pop

We were raving about his single “Bug” a few months ago and this track takes his dynamic electronic, early Nick Cave-influenced sound to an even more exciting place. The video was directed by Montreal photographer Nick Bostick and is approved by Rich Uncle-Skelleton and it’s really really worth your time and has confirmed that ¡FLIST! is one of the most exciting things happening in Montreal right now. ¡FLIST! is playing at the Cabaret Playhouse at 8 on Saturday September 28th for Pop Montreal. Go check him out before you head over to our loft bash! - Silent Shout

Another local weirdo got into insects this year, but FLIST’s bug was more figurative. On the creepy scale, this grimy, pervy, stomach-churning rendering ranks high. - Cult MTL