Fog

After nearly a decade, Fog is back. Andrew Broder’s project has been tough to trace, leaving a trail of acclaimed albums, each considerably different than the last, on notable electronic labels before disappearing like its namesake. But For Good is as much a return to what the Minneapolis auteur does best — piano, turntables, and voice caught up in a gorgeously taut swirl — as it is a foray into music without precedent: digital soundscapes seamlessly wed to guitar, bass, drums, violin, sax, and synths. It snaps, pops, and bangs its way out of speakers like urgent, beat-fired balladry, both coolly inventive and warmly emotive. Even as these songs tackle themes of profound disquiet, they go down with a newfound ease and poise, making For Good a fine analog to Broder’s career — unusual beauty springing from inward agitation, hard-fought contentedness winning in the end.