To dither is either to shake nervously or, in audio terms, it is to reduce quantization patterns in order to prevent non-linear behavior (distortion) thereby making a digitized system a little more analog. Simple enough. And exciting.
Fog’s fourth album is their first with a full, traditional three-piece band. They happen to call it Ditherer, which I would be remiss in my review if I didn’t point out is appropriate because it is an example of the band’s digitized system (Fog starting with turn tables and samples) becoming more analog. It also has a nervous shake and madman, demon-calling energy throughout: something like Granddady covering Ween while wearing Bob Mould’s slightly soiled Underoos. Dither indeed.
Ditherer starts with a tractor beam sound and finds its way through clicks, buzzes, power chords, drum fills, heavy bass and occasional string section. Not to mention the vocals, which are sometimes harmonized with beautifully (“What’s Up Freaks?”), talk of a giant squid, seamen running down someone’s leg, and the Devil (“Your Beef Is Mine”) and always maintain a conversational, more talking than singing tone. The lyrics have a way of being awkward yet poetic and un-obviously clever in a Thom Yorke cum Dan Bejar sort of way.
The album’s two standouts are “Inflatable Apt pt 3” which sounds like a sinister version of the Mystery Science 3000 theme song and “On The Gallows” which is a little like Wilco’s “Sunken Treasure” with its distorted tension haunting the corners of the song. After a few minutes of the noise threatening the folky song like a wolf at the door that you can always hear through the crack in the window, it turns into an all-out freak-out and then the band somehow finds its way back into mellow mode. It is through these cracks and warbles that Fog find their strength and sound like a band having fun being a band.
