GHOSTS ON MAGNETIC TAPE

Steven Wilson is a very busy individual, dividing up his time between production duties, various collaborations and side-projects outside of his main occupation, Porcupine Tree. Rarely does his quality and inspiration dip. BASS COMMUNION is his minimalist ambient experiment, and 'Ghosts on Magnetic Tape' is a fine creation of subtle murmurings, scratching noises and soft, dark drones. These various noises are reputed to be actual recordings of hauntings and super-natural phenomena. Wilson has incorporated these sounds with some eerie atmospheres, and it's quite creepy to listen to in the dark - well, it just doesn't have the same vibe during the day. The closest similarity that I can muster would be with the David Sylvian and Holger Czukay projects, or maybe even Peter Hammill on his 'Loops and Reels' release (the track entitled 'The Bells! The Bells!' for those that are curious), but stripped down. Each part of this album bares a similar mood, sound and structure, very difficult to differentiate, but the side-long Part V stands out, with help from Theo Travis, adding some sublime flute sounds. As with most SW things, this has received a double LP pressing on murky, olive-green vinyl (a very fitting colour), and expanded with a 16 min+ out-take accommodating the fourth side. This piece is somewhat relentless and ever more sinister than the rest. This one actually scares me ! I probably cannot justify this album in such few words as this, and it's a very daunting task to rate such a thing, but if the idea of taking a transcendental voyage through the netherworld sounds exciting, then this may be your thing. I'll leave it with 4 stars.