Utility Fog

Sunday, 10th of June, 2012

Late start rainy night! Had the second of my gigs at the Rocks Popup and zoomed in, to start about 15-20 minutes late. Featuring the best in new electronic and folktronic sounds, and some epic heavy riffage near the start.
LISTEN AGAIN via the link at the bottom, podcast, or stream on demand from FBi.

Having gotten hold of another of his albums, Airs of the Ear, I thought I'd start once again with the amazing Richard Youngs. I think this might be one of his very best albums, and "Fire Horse Rising" is classic Youngs - traditional English-sounding song, but with psychedelic electric squiggles over its long tail end.

Next up, the awesomely intense live version of Swans' "Sex God Sex", with the massive bassline, massive drums and intense Michael Gira vocal. This is from the tour that took them to Australia last year, now released on a stunning 2CD set called We Rose From Your Bed With The Sun In Our Head. The new studio album (also 2CD!) later this year can't fail to be immense.

Speaking of immense, we now hear all 18 or so minutes of Jesu's "Sundown" from the Sundown/Sunrise EP, which I somehow missed in 2007. Heavy riffs and shoegazey vocals/electronics, as is his usual approach with Jesu. Just lovely.

I've been spruiking Shoeb Ahmad's new album for a few weeks now, and I'm not about to stop. It's out Monday week, June 18th. Premier Aussie indietronica, indie, drone, well, whatever you want to call it, just great songs and textures, guitars with drum machines and crazy string samples and pianos and low-key vocals. Dig it.

Great to have a new release from Melbourne duo Peon. Two percussionists take up digital and analogue effects and synths along with their usual instruments, and this time they're produced by the fabulous Lloyd Swanton, bass player in The Necks, who also joins them on the double bass for a couple of numbers. Released by Wood & Wire, the new label from Stu Buchanan/New Weird Australia. That man never rests, I tell ya.

Collarbones have a new single out in anticipation of their new album. Fuller bass — altogether pretty hefty production, and meanwhile Marcus's vocals are getting more impassioned in their r'n'b influence.

Dubstep label 7even Recordings have a new EP from Russian producer Oceania, a warm pop approach, with vocals from someone credited as "N" on a couple of tracks. It's a great listen from start to finish, definitely recommended.

Also in this sort-of Bass region of genres, we have Howse, on the fêted (see what I did there) Tri-Angle label with some very nice bass-friendly beats, and then we have RYAT, on Flying Lotus' Brainfeeder. Sadly even these days, female artists are few and far between in the electronic world, which is surely a reflection of the environment rather than the female artists themselves — in any case, this is an excellent album of wonky experimental electronic beats and processing. The second track I played is a beatless exploration of layered, eventually processed vocals.

Memory Drawings is the long-awaited new project from Richard Adams of Hood and The Declining Winter, along with hammered dulcimer player Joel Hanson and Declining Winter member Sarah Kemp on violin. Richard's brother Chris aka Bracken contributes a remix, and leaves us desparate for more new material - hopefully a new album on Anticon later this year! And The Rachels' Rachel Grimes contributes piano plus a remix as well, while fellow mellow post-classical folks Dakota Suite also appear on remix duties. A star-studded release with beautiful packaging from Second Language Music.

The strings remain with a couple of tracks courtesy of wonderful English duo Geese. One of their characteristic remixes to start with, of Plaid's collaboration with composer/pianist Will Dutta, and then a solo (I think unreleased) live piece. You can download the remix via the link in the playlist. Awesome string arrangements drawing from electronic music.

Then we go on to two fabulous artists on the Lost Tribe Sound label. Vieo Abiungo, who I did a fascinating interview with last year, has a new album out with a DVD by film-maker Pete Munro, which was funded by a Kickstarter campaign. And a limited-edition version of the Cock and Swan has equally lavish packaging, a gorgeous hardcover book with colour-printed artwork, fake-woodboard "wallpaper" and one of those rubbery buttons to plug the CD onto. The music's equally brilliant — Vieo's usual world-inspired percussion and acoustic instruments, unfettered melodies and all. And Cock and Swan apparently used to be a whole lot more electronic, but here turn to acoustic instruments, ramshackle percussion and homely vocals, recalling Broadcast but really all their own. I can't recommend either of these albums enough.
And we also had our Melbourne friend and Lost Tribe Sound artist Part Timer on a minimal but crunchy remix tip.

Before one more appearance from Shoeb, we have a delightful track from the new EP by Kate Carr, head of the Flaming Pines label. It's a homage to New Caledonia, and features burbling water presumably recorded on the island, along with subtle drones. She's doing some amazing work with the label creating and curating site-specific sounds and musical performances meeting field recordings, and her own EP is a perfect example of that art.

Richard Youngs - Fire Horse Rising [Jagjaguwar]
Swans - Sex God Sex (live, 2011) [Young God]
Jesu - sundown [Aurora Borealis] {now available direct from Bandcamp}
Peon - Io (feat. Lloyd Swanton) [Wood & Wire]
Shoeb Ahmad - this is how you fall apart [Mystery Plays Records]
Collarbones - Missing [Two Bright Lakes]
Oceania feat. N - You Live In Me [7even Recordings]
Howse - Fete [Tri-Angle]
RYAT - Owl [Brainfeeder]
RYAT - Totem [Brainfeeder]
Howse - VBS [Tri-Angle]
Oceania - Mantra [7even Recordings]
Memory Drawings - The Canal's Drowning Black (Bracken remix) [Second Language]
Memory Drawings and Rachel Grimes - The Canal's Drowning Black [Second Language]
Memory Drawings - There Come Days to the Hills (Dakota Suite remix) [Second Language]
Plaid and Will Dutta - Distance (Geese remix) [Just Music] {free download from Soundcloud}
Geese - Spool (live) [unreleased?]
Cock and Swan - Stash (Part Timer remix) [Lost Tribe Sound]
Cock and Swan - Stash [Lost Tribe Sound]
vieo abiungo - while the others sleep (cock and swan - etherise remix) [Lost Tribe Sound]
Vieo Abiungo - rejoice the blind coincidence [Lost Tribe Sound]
Cock and Swan - Tectonic Plates [Lost Tribe Sound]
Kate Carr - La piscine naturelle [Flaming Pines]
Shoeb Ahmad - the orchids [Mystery Plays Records]

Listen again — ~ 142MB

Comments are closed.