Fog - 10th Avenue Freakout FLAC download

Fog moves from Ninja Tune to the former Warp subsidiary Lex Records, though their general aesthetic hasn't changed: hazy lo-fi indie rock, hip-hop inspired rhythms. "Can You Believe It?" has a slow build that culminates into horns, while "We're Winning" carries an inherent sadness, despite its title, even as it skitters into some quick breaks. Some of the tracks aren't as strong and suffer a bit from a lack of focus, like the title track or the loud jangle of "The Rabbit." But the touching simplicity of "Song About A Wedding" and "Holy! Holy! Holy!" speak much more emphatically. Indeed, the spaciousness of "The Small Burn" and "Hummer" show a shoegaze thoughtfulness which is surely welcome. The mood-switching of "Goody Gumdrops" and the careful instrumentation of "The Poor Fella" offer a nice textural element too. And although "A Murder" spirals into chaos, "The Hully Gully" steadies itself with a solid beat, even as the chaos pulls at it. An interesting album overall.