Zen Mystery Fogg

Sweet but far too short, the party that is the Racoon 7” burns fast, fuzzily and with a hint of sentimentality. Chase Franson’s vocals don’t layer on top of the noise but come from right inside it, like a democratic haze of sound that also harbors a banshee, floor tom, and some real good garage rock. The lyrics are difficult to pick out, but that seems to be calculated, enhancing the dream-like substance that Zen Mystery Fogg has created. Not dream-like in a Mazzy Star kind of way, more like when you’re trying to remember one of those odysseys that happens once every couple of years after last call. Kingfisher Bluez sure knows how to pick ’em - Weird Canda

As proven in one of my previous entries last month, the West Coast is certainly a region where retro is constantly en vogue. Here, Vancouver residents Zen Mystery Fogg offer up a taste of reverbed garage rock that could have easily been recorded in the late ‘60s in a hotel room on tour opening up for the Doors.

Sounds like: Early pre-Dave Grohl Nirvana noise with an umbrella to stay dry from all the rain. - Alan Cross

Zen Mystery Fogg are a pair of garage-rock-playing-perfectionists in the art of imperfection.

Chase Franson and Thomas Mollander met a bit less than two years ago jamming in the same space, playing with different bands. Their musical styles drew them to start playing together and in the process Zen Mystery Fogg was born! Founded in June of 2012, they hit the ground running with two 7” releases, Raccoon and Sarah, both released in November. Backed by Vancouver-based Kingfisher Bluez Record, they’re looking forward to future releases with the label.

Franson and Mollander are hoping to make a big impact on the Vancouver music scene with their overall minimalistic approach to music making. Trying to keep away from an excessive use of effects, or a level of production that’s impossible to recreate in a live setting, the pair focus their energy toward creating compelling melodies and the right sound quality for each song. That level of “right” changes from song to song for the two, which has led to some interesting diversity in the songs in past releases. The pair enjoys infusing a certain amount of synthy-pop energy into some songs and prefer a closer garage rock sound for other songs. They’re diverse while being consistent. The band is a walking self-contradiction, but they’re exactly what they appear to be and the live show they present sounds the same as the recorded tracks. Zen Mystery Fogg is going to make musical waves, so watch out for them.

You can check them out at the Astoria Hotel on May the 8th with Blind Horses as well as at the Sled Island Music Festival in Calgary June 19 – 22. In the meantime check out their two tracks on bandcamp below! - Red on Black Music

Raccoon 7? (Kingfisher Bluez)
You can’t seem to go wrong with a two piece in music today. The White Stripes, the Black Keys, and Vancouver’s own Japandroids have proven in spades the widespread appeal that such a bare-bones pairing can have for music fans. Zen Mystery Fogg channel the stripped back ethos of the two piece band with their simple song structures, meagre production values, and simple yet catchy melodies.
“Raccoon” bops along with understated energy. Chase Franson sings of unrequited love over very basic garage rock power chords while drummer Thomas Molander pounds along with gusto.

The B-side track “Detour” rides a surf rhythm and highlights Molander’s ethereal crooning over brief interlude passages. The second half of the track descends into a basic jam which brings Franson’s blissfully uncomplicated guitar work to the forefront.
Zen Mystery Fogg’s latest release is a delightfully unpretentious garage rock workout. Franson and Molander sound like they’re having a blast working together and invite you to join in on the fun.? - Discorder Magazine

Josiah Hughes had some good things to say about us:

Last year, Vancouver imprint Kingfisher Bluez launched their Vancouver DIY Single Sided Singles Club. The latest release is a 7-inch from fuzzy rock act Zen Mystery Fogg.

Delivering two warm anthems that are certainly garage without sounding like a million outdated hype bands, the group demonstrate their way around a solid hook. They've also got the sonics pegged, as the production is gritty enough without falling into an over-the-top lo-fi territory.

Check out "Raccoon" and "Detour" below. The 7-inch can be purchased here. - Exclaim!

The guy at the buried tapes liked our single:

Raccoon // Zen Mystery Fogg
nothing makes me more happy then when I get emails from bands to check them out. these dudes shot me an email recently and I checked out their single, Raccoon and man, it's pretty tight. I really dig the garage punk / surf punk vibes it gives. you can pick up their vinyl here for like 8 bucks. do yourself & your friends a solid, pick up this 7". it's got my seal of approval. for now though,
enjoy. - the buried tapes

Insomnia Radio was kind enough to write a little about our single:

Zen Mystery Fogg are two transplants of the scenic Vancouver Island wilderness living in New Orleans. Chase Franson and Thomas Molander make sunny, breezy, garage rock that treads the line between pop and lo-fi.
Their debut single, Raccoon/Detour is being released by Vancouver label Kingfisher Bluez, on a gorgeous pink and lavender marbled vinyl limited to 250 hand-numbered copies. - Insomnia Radio

Austin Town Hall said this about us:

As many of you know, I have been recovering from a birthday extravaganza over the weekend so my posts have been few and far between. Well I’m getting back into the game with a tasty little fuzz rock number called “Raccoon” coming your way from newer band Zen Mystery Fogg. It’s definitely a fuzz rock song that has a a rougher edge to it that is putting me in a badass mood on this Tuesday. Oh and if you don’t know what a badass mood is, well you’ve never lived my friend.

This song will appear on a 7? single from the band coming your way on Vancouver based Kingfisher Bluez label. - Austin Town Hall

Impose magazine had some nice things to say about us!:

Vancouver by New Orleans Zen Mystery Fogg dropped by their damn loud and damn good single "Raccoon" b/w "Detour" that must be scaring the crap out of their fellow West Coast garage contemporaries. The single is being released from Vancouver imprint Kingfisher Bluez on hand-numbered copies made in batches limited to 250. - Impose Magazine