Mt Fog, the recording name of Seattle, USA-based folktronica artist Carolyn B, has been making quite a splash on the underground music scene. Frequently featured on her local radio station and selected as a grantee of the 2022 Church of Noise, there’s a buzz surrounding her. A few single releases this year have accumulated in the release of her second album. It’s called Spells of Silence.
By Graeme Smith
Feature photo by Rachel Bennet
Spells of Silence has been described as “a collection of haunted house songs: doorways open into impossible spaces, crying in a dusty corner” and that gives but just a glimpse of what you can expect from the album. Its ten tracks are a journey into the unknown where things are familiar, yet unrecognisable.
Mt Fog began the build-up to this album in June with the single release of opening track Behind a Silent Door. It feels the perfect place to start. Feeling like a team up between Beck and Björk, it’s folk and electronica but not as we know it. There are undercurrent of psych and hints of ’90s trance pop. It’s instantly arresting. Carolyn cites the cult literary success House of Leaves as an influence and readers of the book will definitely feel it.
Waiting Through The Years was the second single release in August and comes next on the album. It’s a gloomier side of the Mt Fog sound, but just as atmospheric. Sewn Together keeps things downbeat, though introduces driving percussion and neoclassical elements before final single release I Am The Sea, You Are The Clouds rounds off the album’s first part. Opening with sorrowful strings, it’s a beautifully ambient moment of calm.
As the album progresses, it somehow becomes more experimental. Vow of Silence feels like 30th century folk and Carolyn’s vocals are particularly enchanting. I’m The Lake is richly organic and steeped in natural imagery. Outside Voices is an exercise in minimalism, with subtle rises and falls.
Ingot in the Dark is wonderfully delicate, mixing an otherworldly composition with lyrics that speak of the drudgery of everyday life. It’s a highlight. The Things That Left Us smoulders with a dance beat and a simmering Gothic undercurrent before Unexpected Happiness closes the album. A slow burner, it finishes strong and proves to be another highlight.
Spells of Silence won’t be for everyone, but come to it with an open mind and you might just be surprised by what you get out of it. Mt Fog is a true innovator, unafraid to push boundaries and commit to her own sound. This album has to go down as one of my favourites of the year. You can check out the whole record below.