Fog Lake is the musical alias of Canadian singer-songwriter Aaron Powell. Powell began writing and recording songs in his hometown of Glovertown, Newfoundland. In 2014, Powell moved from cassette label Birdtapes to become part of the New York based Orchid Tapes. Powell's recordings have been described as "a complex collage of nebulous angst and heartfelt nostalgia".[1]
Fog Lake | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Background information | |
| Origin | Glovertown, Newfoundland, Canada |
| Genres | |
| Years active | 2012–present |
| Labels | Orchid Tapes, Dog Knights Productions |
| Members |
|
| Website | https://www.foglake.ca |
History
editPowell began working on music during high-school years in Glovertown, Newfoundland. The project began as ambient experiments, sampling and covers to "highly introspective, original recordings".[2] Powell's music is crafted in DIY format, on shoestring budgets.
Powell's first release was a compilation entitled There's a Spirit, There's a Soul,[3] composed of pop/ambient songs recorded in high school. The project began to develop a following after the release of Fog Lake's first full-length album, Farther Reaches, which was released independently in January 2013. Powell released the EP Holy Cross in June 2013 via Birdtapes. Powell then followed up Farther Reaches with a second full-length record, Virgo Indigo,[4] released February 2014. It received coverage from websites such as The Fader[5] and No Fear of Pop.[6] Powell continued to produce self-produced, DIY records such as Victoria Park[7] in 2015 and Dragonchaser[8] in 2017, both being released strictly on cassette format through Orchid Tapes, receiving coverage from Stereogum,[9] SPIN,[10] VICE[11][12] and also touring with emo indie-rock Foxing (band).[13]
Recent work
editVictoria Park, the third full-length album from Powell was released on 30 June 2015 in both digital and physical formats. The album (along with Powell's previous work)can be downloaded for free or pay-what-you-can via Bandcamp. Fog Lake then released Dragonchaser[14] on February 17, 2017, via Orchid Tapes, along with a self-released EP Inference 3,[15] a reworking of demos previously released in 2012. Powell released his fifth full length entitled Captain through Dog Knights Records on July 5, 2018.
On April 23, 2021, Powell released Tragedy Reel via Orchid Tapes.
On March 5, 2022, Powell uploaded piano songs under the moniker farewell, alaska, an "ambient / instrumental project",[16] on Bandcamp. It was released on other platforms several days later on March 10, 2022.
On May 19, 2023, Powell surprise-released Midnight Society via Bandcamp. The album was released on other streaming services shortly after.
On May 3, 2024, Powell uploaded dream death as farewell, alaska[17] on Bandcamp.
Discography
editStudio albums
edit- Farther Reaches (2013)
- Virgo Indigo (2014)
- Victoria Park (2015)
- Dragonchaser (2017)
- Captain (2018)
- Tragedy Reel (2021)
- Midnight Society (2023)
EPs
edit- Holy Cross (2013)
- Inference 3 (2017)
- Fog Lake / Euphoria Again (2018)
- Carousel (2018)
Compilations
edit- There's a Spirit, There's a Soul (2012)
References
edit- ^ Liam Doyle (14 July 2015). "Fog Lake – Victoria Park". Wake The Deaf.
- ^ "INTERVIEW WITH FOG LAKE". SCARY PRETTY.
- ^ "Fog Lake – Bandcamp".
- ^ "Fog Lake – Virgo Indigo (Full Album)". YouTube.
- ^ "The FADER: Download Fog Lake's Virgo Indigo LP".
- ^ "No Fear of Pop: Stream Fog Lake "Virgo Indigo" + Interview (exclusive)". Archived from the original on 6 March 2014.
- ^ "Orchid Tapes – Fog Lake • Victoria Park".
- ^ "Orchid Tapes – Fog Lake • Dragonchaser".
- ^ "Stereogum: Fog Lake – "Side Effects"". 14 December 2016.
- ^ "SPIN: Stream Fog Lake's New Album Dragonchaser".
- ^ "NOISEY: So Far Removed: How Fog Lake Brought Lo-Fi to Newfoundland". 26 November 2015.
- ^ "VICE Canada: Musician Fog Lake Shows Us Gory Films He Made In His Youth".
- ^ "Foxing + Fog Lake Tickets".
- ^ "Fog Lake – Dragonchaser (Bandcamp)".
- ^ "Fog Lake – Inference 3 (Bandcamp)".
- ^ "farewell, alaska – piano songs (Bandcamp)".
- ^ "farewell, alaska – dream death (Bandcamp)".