Second two-hour Utility Fog ever! I’m still getting the hang of this! But I like the early Sunday nights!
Some great psychfolkrock tonight, widescreen electronica, folktronica, and post-/non-classical. Rock it.
LISTEN AGAIN via FBi’s streaming on demand, the podcast or the link at the bottom of the playlist!

I first came across the collaboration between French poet/artist Anne-James Chaton and guitarist/producer Andy Moor via DJ /rupture, and so it’s nice to hear him contributing the English version of the vocal for their new Olympics-themed track “Break The Record”. Minimal pulsating beats and politically-charged spoken word are the order of the day, as with the older track I played.

I’m not sure how I missed Grumbling Fur when their first album came out last year, but Southern‘s Latitudes imprint I discovered it’s the duo of Alexander Tucker and Daniel O’Sullivan of Guapo, Ulver and Mothlite. To my ears this is miles better than the recent Mothlite album (the first was so good, such a shame) and even the Alexander Tucker’s latest. Multi-instrumental and multi-genre, with psych-folk and psych-rock rubbing up against krautrock and electronic tendencies. Epic and awesome.

Also epic in sound is Borealis (no relation to Aurora Borealis label). Jesse Somfay’s been making techno and ambient for a while, but this is the first album for his Borealis moniker. Shoegazey in scope, it features big reverb, glittering synths, fractured female vocal samples, and lovely big beats that sometimes sound like real drums, and sometimes that clattering, shuffling post-r’n’b thing everyone’s doing these days. You can grab the album for whatever you want to pay, so go support good music.
Borealis also contributes a remix to the latest EP from Melbourne glitchtronica duo Mindbuffer on Enig’matik Sounds, an EP also featuring Valance Drakes and Sydney’s own Broken Chip, on his gorgeous ambient trip rather than rather than doing the glitch-hop as Option Command.

Meanwhile, after Borealis, another artist to watch is Memotone, who’s at home with the post-r’n’b/dubstep beats (one track reminds me a lot of recent Downliners Sekt) but also with almost post-classical acoustic sounds on his latest EP. It’ll be very interesting to see where he goes next.

On the same label as Memotone’s latest, we have With Joyful Lips, an art/music project which reminds me glancingly of earlyish Tunng, with a slightly post-r’n’b twist. Their paean to sleeplessness and melatonin has a nice lilting beat and general air of pleasantness to it.

Tune in next week for a bit of a special on Dubliner Dunk Murphy and his Sunken Foal project, including some tracks from his legendary duo Ambulance. His debut album on Planet µ floored me with its combination of piano and tweaked electronics. The new one has a bigger spread of acoustic instruments, including ukulele and mandolin, along with some very funky (literally) beats of various varieties. It’s awesome and a free download.

London-based composer Gabriel Prokofiev has been running his Nonclassical label and putting on events for a few years now. His latest album is a collaboration with the virtuoso Peter Gregson, with extended techniques of all sorts on the cello, plus (as usual with Nonclassical releases) some sensitive remixes of the already rhythmic (and sometimes melodic) sounds. Tim Exile adds whumping bass, beats and nicely twisted effects on his highlight remix.

Another free Bandcamp release comes from Perth’s Kučka via the excellent Wood & Wire. Laura Jane Lowther createst catchy songs from her voice, keyboards, percussion and piano along with 2012-style beats and punchy basslines. Plenty of artists come to mind, but comparisons are odious with artist with such a strong vision. She should go far.

NZ-by-way-of-Sydney duo Kompost continue to release new tracks on their Bandcamp, in their krautrocktronic vein, and they’ve just told me that they will be collecting some of these into a real album soon — great news!

And finally, Petrels, the side-project/solo project of Oliver Barrett now that Bleeding Heart Narrative is a full band, have released a couple of recent tracks on their Bandcamp, with more to come. One of the most exciting new artists from the last few years, with a big range from emotion-wracked post-classical through noise, songwriting, and krautrocky beats… Yes, yes, yes.

Anne-James Chaton + Andy Moor – Break The Record (English vocal by DJ /rupture) [Unsounds]
Anne-James Chaton + Andy Moor – Princess in a Mercedes Class S 280 [Unsounds]
Grumbling Fur – Huthering Whites [Latitudes]
Grumbling Fur – Curing Hides [Aurora Borealis]
Grumbling Fur – Sommaren Är Här [Aurora Borealis]
Grumbling Fur – Orb Of The Woods [Aurora Borealis]
Mindbuffer – PanFM (Borealis ‘Sleeping Hanging Crescent’ Remix) [Enig’matik Sounds]
Mindbuffer – PanFM (Broken Chip Remix) [Enig’matik Sounds]
Borealis – Eye Green [Origami Sound]]
Borealis – Orphan Fire [Origami Sound]]
Borealis – Skyhall [Futuresequence]
Borealis – Not Of This Reality [Origami Sound]]
Memotone – Dark Under The Eyes [free from Souncloud]
Memotone – Many Things [A Future Without]
Memotone – Sad Sack [Memotone website]
Memotone – Don’t Come Looking [A Future Without]
With Joyful Lips – Melatonin [A Future Without]
Sunken Foal – Cool Arms of Love [Countersunk]
Sunken Foal – Slim Pickens [Countersunk]
Gabriel Prokofiev + Peter Gregson – Float Dance (Tim Exile remix) [Nonclassical]
Gabriel Prokofiev + Peter Gregson – Float Dance [Nonclassical]
Kučka – the operation [Wood & Wire]
Kompost – Keep Your Vice On Ice [Kompost Bandcamp]
Petrels – Talus Dice [Petrels Bandcamp]

Listen again — ~ 106MB

NEW TIMESLOT! 9pm-11pm! Wow!
It’s hard to fit everything I want to into 2hrs. I smell a bonus podcast coming – but not this week.
Tonight we had some lovely indietronica and postrock from France, indiefolk from the UK, new beats, and improv postrock from Melbourne.
LISTEN AGAIN via the link at the bottom, the podcast feed or stream on demand.

It’s a well-known fact that Hood are my favourite band ever — they share this honour with a few others, but still. And let’s be clear: I’m far from the only one to hold them in such high regard. French music site Autres Directions are longtime fans too, and have recently put together a Hood special featuring a free download covers EP.
Artists include (the highly Hood-influence) epic45‘s Ben Holton aka My Autumn Empire and Melbourne’s own Part Timer, late of northern English climes himself.
Both turn in lovely versions which acknowledge the twists and bends of the originals while not simply aping them. Meanwhile Arc Vel, who are new to me, do a lovely take on a Cold House classic, keeping the shape of the original but bringing out the lyricism and emphasising the beats.
Nice one.

There’s always been an interesting thread of low-key French experimentalism that taps a similar vein of glitchy indie, with strange song shapes and lots of post-production. In Paris a few weeks ago I stopped by the amazing (incredible) Souffle Continu and in amongst a big haul of stuff I discovered that My Jazzy Child had released a new album last year. I had his 2003 & 2004 releases, so this was an awesome discovery. His somewhat laissez-faire approach reminds me of Lucky Dragons‘ early stuff, and it’s nice to hear him still chopping up his vocals and strummed guitar, and switching from indie-acoustic jangles to distorted shoegazey drones and pretty glitchy pianos.
It’s crazy (yet hardly surprising) how much we miss by only speaking English, isn’t it? I’ve got some Spanish electronic & breakcore coming in the next few weeks, and some fantastic Japanese & maybe Chinese stuff from Hong Kong as well.

But back to France, at Souffle Continu I also picked up an Ultra Milkmaids album I’d been seeking out a while back, to no avail. Known now for their drone material, they’ve released some pretty punky guitar-based stuff as well, and this album pits indie guitar numbers with wandering basslines against glitchy production and drone sections. It’s fantastic.

Hopefully a harbinger of a new album in the works, Lali Puna released a new single a few weeks ago, and it’s very nice hearing a new Odd Nosdam remix. As usually, quite shoegazey and a bit noisy, but respectful to the original’s indietronic prettiness.

Next up, another highlight from my trip — I heard Orkney: A Symphony of The Magnetic North playing at Sister Ray in Berwick St, Soho, and knew it was something I had to have. English folk roots, majestic indie songwriting with percussive bass and experimental touches. No surprise it’s on Full Time Hobby, where Tunng went after their beginnings on Static Caravan — and indeed one of the trio, Hannah Peel, has releases on Static Caravan too.
With a strong sense of land around the far-north Scottish island it’s dedicated to, this is an absorbing listen.

Nice to hear some madcap new tunes from Planet µ‘s Rudi Zygadlo, again with his post-prog vocals, classical flourishes and post-dubstep/Bass beats. It’s both very cool and very naff at the same time, which probably makes it totes ultra-cool (and a bit embarrassing). Can’t wait for more.

The new Lorn came out while I was away, and having had time now to let it digest, I have to declare it a great achievement too. It takes the bright, bouncy melodicism of his first album, with a fine musical sense and perfect West Coast beats, and twisting it into a darker space, with some freaky vocals, growling strings and less of a dancefloor focus.

Since they first appeared a year and a bit ago, Old Apparatus have often garnered comparisons to Various aka Various Production — a semi-mysterious production collective, with interests in folk and dubstep. Their beats are more in the Burial/Clubroot vein, but can go off just about anywhere if you’re not paying attention. Their latest release is the debut on their new Sullen Tone label. We also heard the last segment of the first side of their Deep Medi release from last year.
Speaking of Various, EAN is apparently one of the main movers behind that group, and he branches out on his own here with some very fresh beats, combining jungle, footwork and dubstep among other things.

Another semi-unreleased beat from Comatone, “Lamplit Screenprint” is one of my favourites of his recent output. Needs a new release for the general public, that boy.
We also had another new track from Blue Mountains compatriot Broken Chip, the ambient project of Martyn Option Command Palmer.

And after Part Timer‘s entry into the Hood covers EP, we have one track from the new Battlesnake — Melbourne’s bass-driven postrock improv onslaught. Highly recommended; more next week.

hood – (the) weight [555 Records of Leeds, UK]
My Autumn Empire – The Weight [Autres Directions]
Arc Vel – You Show No Emotion At All [Autres Directions]
My Jazzy Child – A Secret [Clapping Music]
My Jazzy Child – Did You? [Clapping Music]
My Jazzy Child – Morfler [Clapping Music]
My Jazzy Child – Concertmate Plays [Clapping Music]
My Jazzy Child – << >> [Clapping Music]
ultra milkmaids – …guitars [ant-zen]
ultra milkmaids – my personal tv system [ant-zen]
Lali Puna – Safe Tomorrow (Odd Nosdam remix) [Morr Music]
The Magnetic North – Bay Of Skaill [Full Time Hobby]
The Magnetic North – Orphir [Full Time Hobby]
Rudi Zygadlo – Melpomene [Planet µ]
Lorn – Diamond [Ninja Tune]
Rudi Zygadlo – Arrows [Planet µ]
Lorn – The Well [Ninja Tune]
EAN – Darknet [Cosmic Bridge]
Old Apparatus – Bodah [Sullen Tone]
Old Apparatus – Old Apparatus Side A (excerpt) [Deep Medi]
Old Apparatus – Dealow [Sullen Tone]
EAN – Burnt [Cosmic Bridge]
Comatone – Lamplit Screenprint [unreleased, Soundcloud stream]
Broken Chip – lucid clock checking [Broken Chip Bandcamp]
Part Timer – Year’s First Storm [Autres Directions]
Battlesnake – Into The Swamp [available from Bandcamp]

Listen again — ~ 104MB

HE’S BAAAAAACK! After a month in Europe and Hong Kong, I’ve got a suitcaseful of loot to play you over the coming weeks. Only got back early on Saturday morning and haven’t had a chance to listen to a lot yet, but here we go…
Scroll down to previous post for the big news… Last 10pm-1am show this week, so tune in at 9pm next Sunday night for 2 hours of the best postfolkrocktronica I can find.

So LISTEN AGAIN, and rest assured On demand streaming, the podcast and download (see bottom of post) aren’t going anywhere!

Started with a huge special on a very special band: Sweet Billy Pilgrim. Tim Elsenburg & co have been making folk- & electronic-tinged indie pop for some years, and I first heard of them via their exquisite remix of a David Sylvian track. It was great to discover that their own music is no less beautiful, and for all that it’s centred around lyrical melodicism, it never loses its experimental edge — even on the latest, probably most accessible album.
We had a nice range of stuff, including their entry in Lo Recordings’ Explorers Club series of online EPs from 2010.

We follow them with a heap of tunes from Ninja Tune duo Grasscut, who are reminiscent to me of early Tunng‘s evocation of a dark, arcane English folk through a glitchy electronic lens. The last track on their second album features Robert Wyatt prominently, an appropriate guest. And along with their own vocals, we have sampled singing from crackly old 78 records. Both albums are strongly recommended.

Next, we find ourselves back in Australia. Melbourne’s Peter Knight, jazz musician, composer, electronic musician, has written music for a theatre piece called Pin Drop which is on at the Performance Space from the 1st to the 4th of August – this Wednesday to Saturday. Check out the link!

Also on Saturday the 4th, the fantastic Fabels are launching their second EP at a possibly secret venue in Marrickville – check out their Facebook for details. With folk, electronic production and shoegaze in the mix, Hiske Weijers and Ben Aylward (the latter of legendary Sydney indie/shoegaze band Swirl) play with a drum machine in place of a drummer, and should put on a great show.

Moving west into the Blue Mountains we join Broken Chip, this alias now firmly hosting the ambient/drone side of Martyn Palmer’s output, with Option Command for his beats. His new album Into The Diamond is available now from his Bandcamp and will bring a bit of glittery, bubbly calm into your day. You need it!

Also from the same region, Comatone has recently sent around some rare and unreleased tracks to Special People™, so tonight we heard a heavy bit of beat-trickery originally released on a breakcore compilation a few years ago.

Keeping with the heavy, we’re off with emptyset next, from a 12″ (and download release) of remixes of tracks from their Demiurge album. Already their Bass/techno sound has focused further on the noise aspect rather than the beats. Roly Porter (late of industrial dubstep legends Vex’d) has taken a similar journey, and here brings both droning noise and jackhammering beats. Very, very fine.

Cristian Vogel has also journeyed around ultra-technical beats and synth soundtracks for years, and it’s great to have a new album of beats from him. They’re somewhat Bass-influenced, both head-nodding and mind-massaging.

Berlin’s Carsten Nicolai aka alva noto (somehow his moniker suits the lower case) has featured plenty on these pages, and it’s great hearing his minimalist take on Björk from one of the recent Biophilia remix EPs. The fabulous Matthew Herbert has remixed her Icelandic majesty a number of times before, and turns in no less than three remixes on his EP. All great, too.

I came across Memotone via The Wire‘s latest Wire Tapper cover CD, and was intrigued enough to go and find his EP on Bandcamp. Thoroughly contemporary electro-acoustic/folktronic sounds with a bit of a Bass influence in there too. Looking forward to checking out his other stuff now I’m back from overseas…

Also with the folktronica, the wonderful Origamibiro have finally released their Shakkei Remixes album, which is most excellent. There are some great names on the list, including Plaid and the Upward Arrows incarnation of UFog regular Part Timer. And Bad Panda have a few of the remixes plus an exclusive track as free downloads!

Sweet Billy Pilgrim – Joyful Reunion [Luxor Purchase through EMI]
David Sylvian – The Heart Knows Better (Sweet Billy Pilgrim remix) [Samadhi Sound]
Sweet Billy Pilgrim – Here It Begins [Samadhi Sound]
Sweet Billy Pilgrim – Truth Only Smiles [Samadhi Sound]
Sweet Billy Pilgrim – Amina [Lo Recordings]
Sweet Billy Pilgrim – Stars Spill Out Of Cups [Wonderland Avenue]
Sweet Billy Pilgrim – Archaeology [Luxor Purchase through EMI]
Grasscut – From Towns & Fields [Ninja Tune]
Grasscut – Richardson Road (feat. Robert Wyatt) [Ninja Tune]
Grasscut – High Down [Ninja Tune]
Coldcut – Sound Mirrors (Grasscut Dub) [Ninja Tune]
Grasscut – The Tin Man [Ninja Tune]
Grasscut – Reservoir [Ninja Tune]
Peter Knight – Libby (from Pin Drop) [unreleased]
Fabels – Turquoise [Rabbit Releases]
Fabels – Nek [Rabbit Releases]
Broken Chip – full moon [Broken Chip Bandcamp]
Broken Chip – there’s always tomorrow [Broken Chip Bandcamp]
Broken Chip – into the diamond [Broken Chip Bandcamp]
Comatone – Time Stretching Sickness [Proboscus Records]
emptyset – Function: Vulgar Display of Power (Roly Porter Variation) [Subtext]
Cristian Vogel – Deepwater [Shitkatapult]
Cristian Vogel – Lucky Connor [Shitkatapult]
björk – dark matter (alva noto remodel) [One Little Indian]
björk – virus (matthew herbert‘s fever remix) [One Little Indian]
Memotone – My Stranger [A Future Without]
Origamibiro – Flicker [via Bad Panda] {free download!}
Memotone – Ghost [A Future Without]
Origamibiro – Ballerina Platform Shoes (Plaid remix) [Denizen/Abandon Building Recordings]
Origamibiro – Dusk & Umber (Upward Arrows remix) [Denizen/Abandon Building Recordings]

Listen again — ~ 159MB

Like the prodigal son, I returned today to Australia, suitcase full of CDs, and I’ll be playing a sampling of my loot (I haven’t even listened to half of it all yet!) on Sunday night.

I return also with big news re UFog.
The back-story: You my have heard that my friend/colleague Stu Buchanan is finishing up New Weird Australia as a radio show — in fact, last Thursday was the last broadcast. Brooke & Scarlett (& co) are moving Ears Have Ears to Stu’s Thursday night timeslot… AND SO…

Calm down, it’s OK — I’m still here. But from next Sunday night, the 5th of August, I’m moving to 9-11pm. Coincidentally I begin this 9pm timeslot on Utility Fog’s 9th birthday! After 9 years of ultra-late Sunday nights and 3hrs of radio a week, it’ll be nice to be semi-human on Mondays again. You get to hear me at a more accessible hour, so I hope this makes up for cutting it down by an hour (maybe 2hrs is a more accessible length too?)

But 3hrs really has been luxurious, hasn’t it? I get to play long pieces, and multiple tracks by key artists. So I am brewing up a plan to make up the lost hour with a supplemental podcast, perhaps, featuring a couple of artists or trends each week (if I can manage it). Likely not ready for next Sunday.
Please contribute your thoughts in the comments here or on Facebook if that’s your thing!