Interversity: Fog

Fog mastermind Andrew Broder was nice enough to answer a few questions for this week's Interversity column. His latest release on Lex Records, Ditherer, is a hearty helping of anthemic avant-pop, and it has yet to leave my CD player since I got a hold of it a few weeks back. His answers may not be as quirky as his lyrics, but they still provide plenty of insight into the wonderfully unpredictable musical world that is Fog:



Fog - "I Have Been Wronged" - Ditherer (Lex 2007)

1. I credited the eclectic mix of styles strewn throughout Fog's avant-pop sound to your unconventional evolution as a musician, which I roughly and broadly described as "punk rocker turned acclaimed hip-hop DJ turned 4-track experimenter turned bedroom singer/songwriter turned quirky avant-rocker." Firstly, how accurate was my assessment? And, are these stylistic transitions inspired by a need to branch out and take on new challenges, out of boredom with revisiting a particular sound, or is it something completely unconscious?

I'd say that's reasonably accurate. Being the typical, whiny artist(e), I can say honestly that in the moment, I was never trying to be any of those things (except maybe the hip-hop DJ part), that I always just try to think of myself as a musician, and that I make an effort to transcend those boundaries, blah blah blah. The changes over time have been a result of all the reasons you mentioned- plus, in general, I have a tendency to mimic what I am predominantly listening to at a given time, and that changes frequently due to short-attention span.

2. Ditherer sounds to me like the most assured, accessible and anthemic Fog album to date; was it intentional to write a lot of anthem-like songs or was it more an unforeseen characteristic that arose while writing the album?

It was very intentional to write songs with a certainty to them, and more thoughtfully structured and arranged. A lot of that has to do with a) recording demos first, which I had never done before and b) recording as a unit, rather than on my own.

3. You collaborate with a number of different artists on Ditherer (including members of Dosh, Why?, Pedestrian Mount Eerie, Low and Andrew Bird); how much influence did they have in rounding out the sound on the album? Has it caused you to approach writing music in any different manner than before?

I don't know if it had an effect on the songwriting itself, but it certainly helped the songs achieve more of a universal feel to have different voices and ideas in the mix. The album is in large part an attempt to get rid of the insular feel of one-man recordings.

4. One of the most idiosyncratic and intriguing aspect of the Fog sound is the endearingly quirky lyrics; does anything in particular influence your writing style? Are the lyrics written prior to or in response to the music?

Prior to in the sense that I usually amass a bunch of different ideas, and them try them out over different musical ideas in progress and see what works. Usually, something subliminal happens where I am working on some chords or a basic phrase, and some lyrics I wrote before that will magically slide into place. There is some luck involved. In particular I have influenced lately by books, rather than song lyrics. I like writers like George Saunders and Donald Bartheleme. I also draw from the language of day to day culture whether its slang, or things you see printed on products or in advertising, or just something you overhear somebody say that sticks with you.

5. With so many stylistic influences and such an unpredictable and diverse discography, do you strive to reinvent the Fog sound with each successive album? Is it getting easier or tougher from a songwriting perspective with each record?

I guess so. We don't want to be reinventing the wheel for it's own sake, but why be a musician if not to grow and change? That's where the excitement is, at least for me. As far as getting easier or harder, I don't know. After a record is finished, I usually experience a total drought of ideas, and have to force myself to get back into writing again. By the time I do, my tastes have shifted, and I want to hear new sounds.

Audiversinquiry (10 questions we ask everyone)

1. What did you specifically remember listening to as a child that triggered a notable response?

Twisted Sister, Quiet Riot. Then, U2. Then, Jimi Hendrix. Then Miles Davis. Then stuff like Living Colour and Fishbone, then De La Soul, and so on up until present day... Lots of different "phases."

2. Let's say you are heading across town this moment and will have time to listen to one complete album during the trip, what would you listen to?

Right now, either Panda Bear's album or Lil Wayne Drought 3.

3. Are there any other media that you draw inspiration from? Books, authors, painters, actors, movies, celebrities, etc?

See above authors... Right now, I am reading a book called "Gargoyles" by Thomas Bernhard. Amazing. "Three Novellas" by him is also amazing. I don't really watch movies. The last movie I watched was the one where Harrison Ford is the president and has to save Air Force One. I believe it's called "Air Force One", and it may be the stupidest film of all time.

4. Where do you go to discover new music and sounds?

Our drummer Tim has gotten me hip to lots of Black Metal, as has Aquarius Records(.org) where you can listen to samples online. There's a radio show in Mpls. called Strictly Butter that plays Minimal and Dubstep that I like quite a bit. The Wire is a good magazine to discover new stuff. Other than that, mainly friends just telling me about shit. I despise 90% of new music that I hear, particularly in the "indie" realm, but there's definitely a lot of wonderful stuff still, to seek out and is exciting.

5. What question do you get most often that you hate answering?

There's no question that I HATE answering, but I do think it's incredibly boring to talk about what label we're on, or things like that, un-related to what the music sounds like. Any question that is a re-wording of something stated on a press release.

6. Favorite instruments or specific sounds?

It's very hard to argue with how an 808 drum machine sounds.

7. The record store is closing in ten minutes and you are hell-bent on buying something before they close, what section do you head immediately towards?

Yo, it's 2007: What's a record store? What are records?

8. What is the last notable daydream you had and where did it take place?

Whew- I do a lot of that... Difficult to pick one out. I daydream about having my own professional recording studio. I guess that's the most prominent one right now.

9. What is the perfect album to you? Are there any? Is it possible?

Yeah, perfect is a funny word, but sure, I have albums that in my mind can do no wrong: In the Aeroplane Over the Sea, Ask the Ages by Sonny Sharrock, Illmatic.... way way too many to mention.

10. Do you keep up with blogs? Which do you read if so?

I do, but only in the vain and desperate search for my own name, or the names of my friends. My eyes glaze over the rest.