na: fog
The first time I came to New York for the CMJ Festival, only one artist blew me away. When Fog, AKA Andrew Broder, took the stage with his band at the Knitting Factory and played the turntable, reproducing the scratches on “Pneumonia” cut for cut. Actually, did he have a band? I can’t really remember. That’s actually the same show that I ended up falling asleep at while Soviet played, so it’s all a little hazy.
Either way, I was in love with Broder’s weird folk-y meanderings that seemed to owe nothing and everything to hip-hop’s cut-and-paste aesthetic. Fog’s self-titled debut album has always been my favorite, probably because I heard it first, but also because its ramshackle quality has never been recreated by Broder since. There’s something very Elephant 6 about it a song like “Pneumonia,” except, you know, with (what I thought were) sloppy turntable scratches.
Today on eMusic, we received a new single from Broder, “I Have Been Wronged” and while I can’t say I like it quite as much as his early work (too well-produced!), it’s a pretty great rambling indie rock song. As anyone who knows me might expect, I prefer Jesu’s remix of the track, which turns into a haunting dip into the world of shoegaze.
the new fog album will be on sub pop — we will not get it (sadface) — and, barring “pneumonia,” which is easily my favorite thing dude has ever done, it’s his best work.
The new album’s out on Lex. My favorite’s Ether Teeth—the piano and turntable pair so well—but I think there’s an earnestness in everything he does.
I like the first one some but didn’t care for the subsequent albums. I was at that Knitting Factory show though and was pretty amazed by it. He did indeed have a band, like five pieces–and he skipped between turntables, guitar, and (I think) upright organ/synth throughout the set.
Nice post. BIG Fog fan. I picked up his debut album the week it came out by complete chance. I was in a record store in Memphis, and just liked the cover art. Easy as that. It immediately struck me, and been a fan since. “Fog” is my favorite album, not sure how his new album will measure given he’ll have a full-blown band behind him this time. I loved his strange turntable techniques…
This Fog record is a total rock record. No turntables anymore. It’s basically a progression from the more recent 10th Ave Freakout, only more stripped down and fierce. Tim Glenn is a great jazz drummer with a penchant for total noise.
http://www.myspace.com/squidfist
Mark Erikson used to be in a great band called Detroit. Everybody knows him by the name Baer.
http://www.myspace.com/detroitfleshrock
I hope this Fog record causes a revolution.