Utility Fog

Sunday, 9th of December, 2012

Tonight's show featured everything from political alt.hop to post-d'n'b-acoustic-doom to conversations about noise and classical music, drone, and post-rock remixes.
LISTEN AGAIN, stream on demand at FBi or podcast, or see link below!

We started with a new single from Sage Francis, all the funds from which are going to help HIV-positive children he met in Durban, South Africa in 2011. It's a great song and worth dropping a few dollars on.

Like Sage, Sole is an ex-Anticon associate and likes his alt hip-hop with a solid serve of politics. He's been heavily involved with the Occupy movement in Denver, and has some pretty solid situationist/left/anarchist message on A Ruthless Criticism of Everything Existing. A fine producer in his own right, he nevertheless works with excellent producers as ever, with cut-ups of old forgotten pop songs, heavy head-nodding beats and a fair whack of melodicism along with the rapping.

Raime are among the darlings of the post-noise/post-dance set, residing as they do on label-of-the-moment Blackest Ever Black. With an amazing classic jungle mix for FACT, a couple of mixes focusing more on '80s post-industrial and goth, and a couple of 12"s exploring dark, slowed-down jungle that's not quite dubstep. On this album the clattery acoustics of the industrial era meet acoustic instruments along with the sub-bass and ascetic beats; there's nothing else quite like it, although it strongly represents certain trends from the last few years. It's well-hyped, but well deserving of it.

I chatted tonight with Canberra's Austin Buckett, composed and member of Pollen Trio about Everything Always, a concert of noise in contemporary composition from ABC Classic FM's New Music Up Late. Well worth checking out, on air if not in person, or streaming on demand from the ABC site after the fact.

Billed as The Colossal Ithaca Trio for their latest album, Leeds'(?) Ithaca Trio is mainly the work of Oliver Thurley, and rarely a genuine trio, colossal or not. This album was originally a limited release in 2010 but has been majorly reworked, as well as being remastered by Brisbane's Lawrence English. It's gorgeously produced, acoustic drones and noises, layered female guest vocals on one track, carefully placed sounds, worthy of immersive late-night listening.

Back in Sydney, Fabels have a lineage that includes legendary Sydney shoegazers Swirl and noisy psych-rockers Psychic Date. Each of their three EPs so far has featured great songwriting and experimental shoegazey production, with loops and drum machines along with the guitars and vocals.

Down to Melbourne, I've recently been obsessed with Ned Collette + Wirewalker, who I was a fan of when they were members of City City City. Ned's songwriting and vocal influences are clear - Leonard Cohen, Robert Wyatt and Tom Waits spring to mind - but it's such a joy to hear such strong songs, with arrangements that are never obvious, and so well delivered. In a word, awesome.

Second Language is the label run by Piano Magic's Glen Johsnon, who we have encountered frequently on UFog over the last few years, with a sensitive catalogue of folk, post-classical and experimental works. The great, long-lived Piano Magic can now release their own stuff through the label too, and after a fine, dark, '80s-electro-pop-inspired album this year, we find this piece of very acoustic, joyful folk on Second Language's year-end sampler.

In a similar vein, leaning more towards minimalist composition, is Snow Palms, featuring sometime Second Language collaborator David Sheppard of State River Widening, Phelan Sheppard etc on mallet instruments like vibraphone, glockenspiel etc and the strings and electronics of Chris Leary aka Ochre. It's even more enlivening and beautiful than you'd expect.

To segue from the "post-classical" (a term Japanese record stores seem to love), Kashiwa Diasuke has a new album out on World's End Girlfriend's Virgin Babylon, in which he revisits, reworks and remixes some of his back catalogue. We get pensive piano, break-neck drill'n'bass beats, glitchy edits, even occasional raucous rock and ambient passages. Everything and the kitchen sink, just the way we love it. Essential.

Tonight's outing from the fabulous Decade of Feral Media compilation comes from the always-lovely Seaworthy, possibly an old tune with piano competing to be heard over field recordings.

And from another Aussie compilation, Fields, albeit with an international outlook, we hear from Brisbane's Lloyd Barrett aka Secret Killer of Names, with an ambient tune that gives way to slightly disturbing growling vox, a bit industrial and quite excellent.

And finally, there's a new Mogwai remix album out! I need to revisit the ones form 1998. "Mexican Grand Prix" is reworked into gorgeous electronic-tinged indiefolk by RM Hubbert, while Justin K Broadrick turns "George Square Thatcher Death Party" into his usual blissful heavy shoegaze a la Jesu.

Sage Francis - Ubuntu (Water Into Wine) [Strange Famous Records] {buy from Bandcamp}
Sole - Definition of Slave (feat. Open Mike Eagle, Alias) [Soleone]
Sole - The Void Which Binds (feat. Real Magic) [Soleone]
Raime - Exist In The Repeat of Practice [Blackest Ever Black]
Raime - The Last Foundry [Blackest Ever Black]
...interview with Austin Buckett...
Austin Buckett - Blind Shutters [hellosQuare]
The Colossal Ithaca Trio - Wolf √359 [Hibernate Recordings]
Fabels - Semaphore [self-released/Bandcamp]
Ned Collette + Wirewalker - What Lights Have You Seen? [Dot Dash]
Piano Magic - St Martin-In-The-Fields [Second Language]
Snow Palms - Blue Yonder [Village Green]
Snow Palms - Motion Capture [Village Green]
Kashiwa Diasuke - april.#19 [Virgin Babylon]
Seaworthy - Shedding [Feral Media]
Secret Killer of Names - The Scenic Rim [Fields]
Mogwai - Mexican Grand Prix (Reworked by RM Hubbert) [Rock Action Records]
Mogwai - George Square Thatcher Death Party (Justin K Broadrick Reshape) [Rock Action Records]

Listen again — ~ 104MB

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