Utility Fog

Sunday, 25th of September, 2011

Amazing new music from Dutch folk songwriter Laura Arkana ably assisted by Peter Broderick tonight, and also the sublime new pimmon album...
And you can LISTEN AGAIN of course - see link at bottom, or subscribe to podcast, or check out FBi's On Demand streaming!

Even without the exquisite chamber arrangements of Peter Broderick, the songs of Laura Arkana would be instantly ear-catching. It doesn't matter that you don't understand Dutch (but if you do, there'll be an added layer of goodness) — these are pure inspired songs from the heart. From Broderick, we have his delightful strings, backing vocals and other instruments, turning Lentemusiek into an instant modern folk classic. It's a must-listen.

Back to 2000, we join Grandaddy with a song from the "Hewlett's Daughter" single, now collected on the Deluxe edition of The Sophtware Slump. Just a great indie song, albeit with some lovely piano and keyboard lines.

Kompost are two New Zealanders currently based in Sydney, making krautrock-inspired electronic sounds. They've got some excellent tracks up on their Bandcamp for free — check them out.

Finally I am able to play you some tracks from the first Flaming Pines release, a compilation called Listen to the Weather.
Both Broken Chip and Field Rotation take a watery theme, but the Blue Mountains' Broken Chip takes a pulsing electronic approach while Germany's Field Rotation uses a classical sample (familiar to me but I'm not sure yet that it's from Georg Frederick Handel's "Water Music" (which is light and breezy on the whole)) along with the droney electronic distortion.

Philippe Pannier & Isambard Khroustaliov (Sam from Icarus) met at IRCAM a few years ago, but only hooked up for a recording together this year. It's highly abstract electro-acoustic music, but somewhat grounded by the guitar and banjo of Pannier.

Then we're back in ravishing drone territory. Wonderful to have a new album from pimmon, and it's also nice to see it released on ROOM40. Seems like a good home for Paul Gough, and this seems like his masterwork — so far at least. These are works of real beauty, and patient shapeliness.
Lawrence English is the man who runs ROOM40, but this new album from him is on the lovely Experimedia label. Two long 12" sides, kindly split into "radio edit" tracks on the promo, so I could play you some excerpts. It's drone, but with just the right amount of movement to it - even harmonic movement. I don't know the novel it's a tribute to, but that doesn't matter!

I'm not sure whether this is newly available online, but Ben Frost's soundtrack to Amnesty's Invisibles short film is available on Bandcamp. Naturally it sticks more to the delicate acoustic end of his spectrum, but there's enough growly double bass in there to satisfy us.

Fresh from much enthusiastic UFog airplay from his collaboration with Dung Nguyen, Melbourne jazz/experimental trumpet/laptop artist Peter Knight has a new solo album out, with the fine title Fish Boast of Fishing. We heard a subtle piece where a repetitive bassline supports prepared piano and electronics.

From the UK, Aaron Wheeler's Laszlo makes an exuberant mix of minimalist classical, folky pop and melodic idm. A surprise hit of the week.

Also great to have Rudi Zygadlo back, after last year's idiosyncratic post-dubstep album on Planet µ. It's angular pop, with basslines bouncing between dubstep and keyboard-funk, and a sort of '70s sheen to the vocals. Fun!

Incredibly exciting that Strictly Kev's DJ Food is finally ready to release the long-awaited new album. His third EP is out now — originally the album was going to be a compilation of those EPs (the first two of which came out in 2009), but I think it's mutated a little since then. Even more exciting is the fact that JG Thirlwell aka UFog favourite Foetus appears on the opening track — all sinister snarls for the lead vocal. I revisited DJ Food's Foetus remix from 10 years ago as well.

I took the opportunity of playing wonderful Stockholm duo Roll The Dice again tonight. "Swing" was the track that turned me on to them last year, from a Digitalis compilation. It's an irresistible ten minutes of analogue synthesiser programming. We followed it with the closing track from their new album on Leaf, which adds awesome chugging piano to the synths.

Another reprise, from another of the best Australian albums of the year, Tom Hall's Muted Angels. Soaring ambient with undercurrents of noise.

Two more remixes of Denmark's heavy rock/indie band Salli Lunn. First up, fellow Dane Manual takes them into shoegazey territory, while Markus Mehr glitches up the heavy riffs to superb effect.

Before we round out the show with Laszlo's Fender Rhodes, we have another stray, pattering over from a few weeks ago when I featured the wonderful Japanese piano/breakcore/glitch artist Kashiwa Daisuke. Tonight's track is chopped-up piano and jittery minimalist beats — something a bit different, but still recognizably him.

And just in from part timer, a new track, which is a remix of flau artist cokiyu, credited to "annim & eisseb". It's in his folktronic cut-ups and beats style, and is very pretty indeed.

Laura Arkana met Peter Broderick - Souvenirs [Hush Records]
Laura Arkana met Peter Broderick - Het Vuilnis [Hush Records]
Grandaddy - L.F.O. [Mercury/Universal]
Kompost - Chicken or Fish? [free from Kompost Bandcamp]
Kompost - Skeleton Soul [free from Kompost Bandcamp]
broken chip - hydrosphere [Flaming Pines]
field rotation - watermusic [Flaming Pines]
Philippe Pannier & Isambard Khroustaliov - Recherchées [Not Applicable]
pimmon - düülbludgers [ROOM40]
Lawrence English - The Roar Ceasing (radio edit) [Experimedia]
pimmon - holding, never to be passed [ROOM40]
Lawrence English - The Hunting Life (radio edit) [Experimedia]
Ben Frost - The Gravity of Numbers [buy from Amnesty's Invisibles Bandcamp]
Peter Knight - Unknowness 1 [listen/hear collective]
Laszlo - Radial Nerve [Lydian Label]
Laszlo - Mr Sunshine [Lydian Label]
Rudi Zygadlo - Catharine [Pictures Music]
DJ Food - Prey (feat. JG Thirlwell) [Ninja Tune]
Foetus - Suspect (DJ Food's Feed 'Em Their Rights mix) [Thirsty Ear]
DJ Food - In Orbit Every Monday [Ninja Tune]
Roll The Dice - Swing [Digitalis]
Roll The Dice - See You Monday [Leaf]
Tom Hall - Before Being [Complicated Dance Steps]
Salli Lunn - The Invention of Steel (Manual remix) [Hidden Shoal]
Salli Lunn - Parachutes Forever (Markus Mehr remix) [Hidden Shoal]
Markus Jones - 14-4c sw 7mph 47% 1015mb [Flaming Pines]
Kashiwa Daisuke - Silver Moon [Noble]
cokiyu - your thorn (annim & eisseb remix by part timer) [unreleased, original on flau]
Laszlo - Rhodesy [Lydian Label]

Listen again — ~ 157MB

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