- Fog / Shrine is the first EP from The Bug and Burial, two UK artists with plenty in common. Both share instantly recognisable sounds. Both liberally pour dread on their music. Both adore crackle and hiss. There's a difference, however, in how they've handled the gift and curse of their sonic signatures. Burial has spent the past few years attempting to move past his classic albums. He's tried euphoria, ambience and intensity, and the results have been mixed. The Bug, meanwhile, has expanded his sound through collaboration. Releases with Miss Red, Earth, Fennesz and others were obviously the work of the man behind London Zoo, but each felt like a fresh related angle.
This EP as Flame 1, released through The Bug's new Pressure label, sounds almost exactly like you'd expect from these two, although that's actually not a criticism. Across two tracks we get a simple, raw collision of the moods and production themes that excite these artists, which coming from Burial in particular is welcome. "Fog" begins with The Bug's classic filter-plus-distortion intro and monster bass drop. Burial's fingerprints are all over the strings and synths that later drift through the mist, pushing the track towards a gritty but gentle conclusion. "Shrine" has a similar combination of elements but less forward momentum. A sustained melody, like something from a Caretaker record, haunts the higher frequencies, as the bass menaces the ground below it. If you know these artists, there isn't a note on this record that will catch you off guard. These artists getting in the studio and hitting record was enough.