Hardy Fox — Ibbur

Ibbur is the fifth (to date) final solo album to appear from Hardy Fox- who was one of the key songwriters behind long-running experimental/ avant pop The Residents- he sadly passed away in October of 2018 from brain cancer.  The eighteen-track CD rather sits in the more abstract side of the electronica come electro-sound scaping side of things, and it’s a soundtrack for his online published/ serialized novella The Stone.

The CD appeared on Austria’s Klanggalerie at the start of this year. The disc comes presented in a glossy four-panel digipack- this features shadowy abstract, and at points rather chilling imagery- like on its front cover a man with his arms held out & face smudged, someone undoing their trouser belt, and a small cupped in hand human head that’s been cut by a razor blade.  Sadly, the release has now gone out of print, but let us hope it sees a reissue down the line- as it’s a wonderful unbalancing and unpredictable album.

I’ve not read The Stone myself, but it appeared in its full form in the year 2017, as an e-book on his own site, and can be found here http://hardyfox.com/home/The%2520Stone/.  Apparently, the novella is somewhat of a fever dream blend of autobiography and elements from The Residents universe. And after hearing Ibbur, I’ll certainly be making time soon to read it. 

The eighteen tracks featured have runtimes between twenty seconds and three minutes, and this makes for a marvellously jarring and often highly strange experience. With the sound pallet rather sitting between abstract electronica, electro improv, and off-kilter soundtracking. The first half of the album moves from the sinisterly purring bass line, set brooding ethnic percussion, and pinging/striking textures of “Toehammer 5A”. Onto the  galloping-yet-skewed “Toehammer 16A” with its sampled horn work bound, and loose going-to-the-circus keyboard lines. Through to the compressed & reduced techno pads meets bass line flurries of “Toehammer 6A”.

Going onto the second half we have the stretched tone strick meets swimming through gloomy unwater ambience of “Toehammer 2A”. Or there’s the jabbering ‘n’ fluttering ethnic precession meets electro texturing of “11-22-10”. Or the muffled bass line churn meets floating electro knocks and bangs of “Toehammer 9”.

Ibbur is a splendidly unbalancing experience. It highlights both Mr Fox's talent for creative/varied sound use, and creating unease/ odd mood. All reminding us that he was truly a one-off talent, who is still very much missed!.