Fur Clemt - review
Fur Clemt
Grog Organ
words by Bec Sabbath
Every now and then there comes an album so immersive that it transports you to another time entirely - and that is exactly the case with Grog Organ's sophomore album 'Fur Clemt'. Despite listening to this in the blistering sun, I felt a shiver run down my spine as if I was sitting out on a porch on All Hallow's Eve. Grog manages to encapsulate the eeriness of the Winter months - there's a sense of homeliness, of wanting to cozy up, but this album feels less like sitting by the fire than it does being stuck outside in the dark with nowhere to go.
'Fur Clemt' is a lullaby, if you wish to fill your sleep with nightmares. These are the sounds of a wounded man revelling in his sorrows and confessing his ghastly desires. The constant juxtaposition of joy and morbidity reminds us to not take the warmth and love of summer for granted, as darkness is always one step away. An uncomfortable, blustery intro makes way for 'Gnaw', the first stand-out track on the album: It inspires hope where 'I Walked Through the Snow' instilled anxiety. Hope is fleeting, however, as we quickly return to a cold October night in 'Dark Song'. This theme is present throughout the album, eventually coming full-circle in 'That's Exactly How We Feel About You,' where, like a broken music box, the discordant melody of the intro track repeats itself.
Released in October of 2020, 'Fur Clemt' could be taken as a nod to the isolation brought on by the darker-half of the year amidst a never-ending series of lockdowns. Celebrations with friends were but distant memories for us to reminisce on whilst cooped up inside. Clearly, lamenting in his bedroom was Grog's lockdown coping mechanism of choice, but a choice I am grateful for, as if he opted for baking banana bread like the rest of us, we may have lost out on a rare gem.
Standout tracks: The Gnaw, God Give Us A Garden, Corpse Candle, Killing You