AIDAN BAKER

1. "Night Drive" (5:09) part CAN, part LANDBERK, part early SIMPLE MINDS, part LOBOTOMY BROTHERS, this one has some real familiarity to it--though I know it is original. Not great musicianship on display. I like the whispered "ghost vocals" that enter in the fourth minute. (8/10)

2. "Fragmentary Beings" (4:05) interesting four-instrument weave on which several of the tracks have trouble staying synched up with the others. I wonder if Aidan has ever heard any West Indian Girl or PerPLeXa music. (8.66667/10)

3. "In the Meadow" (4:52) sounds so much like something by Robert Schurgin/Jonathan Wald's PeRPLeXa, though there are also definite elements of BARK PSYCHOSIS, STEVE JANSEN, and even his brother, DAVID SYLVIAN. Cool psychedelic groove. (9/10)

4. "Becoming Impulse" (4:03) more CAN-like foundational stuff with interesting ancillary percussives and synth pulsing like something from a 1980s TALKING HEADS album. Aidan's soft singing enters in the third minute. The words can be made out: they're almost like the incantation for a spell. (8.75/10)

5. "Climbing into Light" (5:02) angelic synth sounds and synth washes and indecipherable whisper samples all woven together with a deep bass line and distant snare drumming open this one before Aidan's distant echo-"ghost vocals" enter to sing a children's self-medicating bedtime nursery rhyme. Very cool soundscape which all, sadly, starts to fade out at the end of the fourth minute(!). (8.875/10)

6. "In & Out of Darkness" (6:38) like a variation of the previous song's theme, opens with expanding and contracting Farfisa organ chords while more distant "ghost vocal" whispers provide a constant river in the middle/background. Electric piano enters to give the song some more structure while the voices rise and fall, move forward and backward in the mix, giving the feeling that they are moving around, even threatening to "break the fourth wall": come out of the sound box. The long organ outro is rather Eno-esque. (8.75/10)

7. "Anglev" (4:39) Sounds A LOT like the music from NEON HEART's debut album--especially "Dagar försvinner" and "Till dig ännu en gång"--both of which I LOVE. Unfortunately, there is very little variation or development once the full palette of instruments is gathered. (8.875/10)

8. "Synaptic Firing" (4:30) and Jaki and Holger firing, too! Nice CAN-like groove. (9/10)

9. "Lurking in Some Corner" (6:15) here channelling a little MARK HOLLIS via computer, sampler, and a Massive Attack/Bark Psychosis filter. (8.875/10)

10. "Lost Keys" (5:42) nice groove over which Aidan lays down some nice space-guitar and ghost vocals.Something goes horribly wrong (intentionally) with the timing of the multi-tracks third minute and never really gets rectified. I like the ALIO DIE finish. (8.75/10)

Total Time 50:55

I sense some of the genius of ROBERT JAMES (West Indian Girl), GRAHAM SUTTON (Bark Psychosis), KEVIN SHIELDS (My Bloody Valentine), DAVID SYLVIAN, HOLGER CZUKAY, REINE FISKE, in the music on this album. Some of the songs are quite simple or flawed in one aspect of musicianship or another, giving the impression that Aidan was rushing-- trying to finish or get on to the next idea or track--as if they didn't/don't matter!?!?!???

B/four stars; an excellent contribution of experimental/modern electronic Krautrock. I just wish Aidan had spent a little more time with these pieces to either develop them further or at least to polish them.

Aidan Baker-Strung (2020) An interesting album, where guitar is the main character, counterpointing follows. Chaotic in someplaces and yet fluid. Experimental that is key, no fear in it! Some cellos add mystery but everything falls into place. Strings are all out there, few riffs and well constructed, it´s scope is variable, nothing else. Ambiental electronics all way through. No masterpiece but enjoyable. Somewhat Laraaji in many ways, but still the feeling of Aidan Baker. Short timed compositions which are rich , but somehow could have been more to explore in them, as told a good album. Give it a listening, Aidan Baker´s music is worthwhile.

***3 PA´s stars.

The album "There/Not There" is an example of this, in this case combining post rock, ambience, noise, drones and shoegaze to come up with this 3-part masterwork. For those that love exploratory and experimental music, this is a great album. As many times as not, Baker works with various musicians, while other times he produces all of the sounds and textures himself. On this album, he takes care of all of the guitars and vocals while guests Dana Schechter (bass) and Fiona McKenzie (drums) add their input as needed.

The title track "There/Not There" takes up the first half of the album at just over 20 minutes. This track begins softly and pensively, moving slowly to a slow and unassuming rhythm, building very slowly. The first part of this track takes it's time, yet has a nice melodic quality to it. There is a bit of a shoegaze vibe here, especially when his vocals kick in, softly, but not really buried in the mix. The slow build continues along with the vocals, but as the track reaches the 10 minute mark, the listener will notice that things are getting more and more intense, until a solid wall of sound shuts out the rhythmic pattern and a more droning style takes over, building layers upon layers of dark noise. This continues and follows right into the next track "(Found)", where this heaviness has reached its peak. The noise drone continues, but as it goes on, some texture starts to peek through the cacophony of noise, and there is a rather symphonic texture that somehow seems to pierce the wall of sound. The last track, "Paris (lost)" suddenly cuts out the noise as the music drops back to the ambient style again. The sudden change will probably evoke some kind of reaction from the listener as you feel relief from being freed from the solid noise. This track continues along with a pensive sound, the shoegaze more prevalent this time around. Vocals come back in on this track, the music will build a little, but stays far from reaching the pinnacle of before as it soon backs off again. The track ends the album in the same mood as it begins, ambient and pensive.

The music here is not the typical drone/shoegaze sound that you might usually associate with this kind of music. With this album, you get the professionalism and experience of a musician that really takes you on a voyage, not just following established styles as much as he pushes the boundaries of those genres. But you also feel like you are experiencing something when you listen to his music, and that is the case with this album. I wouldn't go so far as to call this essential, however, it is quite an excellent album especially with the territory it covers with these neo-genres that so many other artists are exploring, but when it comes to listening to Baker, there is no one that can take you on an actual journey like he does.

I don´t know how objective I may sound or really care to, when actually listening to Aidan Baker´s Liminoid/Lifeforms (2010) , after a long wait in acquiring this masterpiece.

But as always , to write/rate whatever publicly , I give almost anything at least 3 tries and as I listen for the seventh time, I am as overwhelmed as I feel lucky, lucky enough to pass on the good news.

As for describing its contents, well ............wish you were here, but if not,...it is as beautiful as it is eerie, as it is luminous as it is creative, non stop inventive , disruptive yet poetic, enticing all way through, obscure when needed, intelligent without becoming self indulgent, opposite to that its melody lines are deep and perfectly multi instrumentally composed & crafted, thus rich in its range of moods and yes, attentive reader, as you will find out for yourself if you feel privileged enough to catch it, flawless, the 5+ star kind, no less.

In a perfect Progressive music world this kind of work would have set the 2010 Prog fields on fire, all of them, not only the infamous P.E. ones, but as they say knowledge is material, thus more for the few who know. As for the rest, let them eat cake!

The Forever Tapes (2019) exploits all of Aidan Baker´s music composition resources and taming their possible natural chaotic direction by enhancing the results of experimentation rather than experimentation itself, thus all 10 tracks are given a unique and focused identity which touches on the vast universe Aidan Baker has crafted stone by stone.

An extremely ambitious effort and by ambitious I mean the kind of work which can withstand, both, the weight of the non - mainstream & mainstream Electronic Music markets without compromising neither his well owned music language nor musician's integrity.

To cut it short.. Bold & controlled mayhem paying close attention to its myriad of sharpened melody lines in able to deconstruct the known structures, reshape them and ,very important, simplify them without sucking off the vital energy of the newborns by a perfectly threaded parade of different electronic music moods and ideas tied together by their common artistic goal.

Fresh air blowing through this P.E. vampiristic & graverobbers catacombs & one of the real highlights in PA´s Progressive Electronic music category this year.

Full 5 star album!

PS. Don't even expect Mr. Baker to rehash somebody else's music language, if so please move on.

A good collaborative release: See Through (2019), which if taken as a first project between these 3 musicians - Aidan Baker (guitar), Faith Coloccia (vocals & efx) & Jon Mueller (drums, percussions) and finding out how easily they construct an original electro/acoustic musical language sure makes up for a promising listening experience.

But music composition is a mean and demanding muse whose secrets are well kept even if you are lucky enough to find her. And this trio sure has found her but now they need to explore every layer of what they have created thus expanding its possible forms and make them go beyond mere findings and very good ideas floating around to masterpieces.

As for now this party is just starting.

***3.5 PA stars.

This unnamed 38 minutes composition, divided into 2 parts, "BSP Live Series/2010.11.16 - LesInstant Chavires, Paris" beholds many remarkable features alongside its apparent economy in instruments and performers, one will suspect, when reading the credits as Aidan Baker takes full responsibility of all recorded sounds and only guitar as instrument.

Apparently, as told, but expect a full gallery of electronic/acoustic sound possibilities (including bright but well measured percussive elements, here and there) by the addition of loops which eventually grow outside themselves to become massive entities conjuring hypnotic and raw to the bone structures whose guiding lights are the well threaded melodic lines which as always are the real deal of this (and any) release.

This noise related, electronic, "symphonic" like project keeps one's attention hooked from start to finish due to the before mentioned attribute. And of course Aidan Baker's musical language has many influences but sounds like none but himself and on this one extremely charged!

In between the exact borders of Krautrock, Progessive Electronic and pure and explosive Avant Garde.

****4 PA stars

The first "original" 2 tracks are constructed dronescapes which differentiate from their twin Ambient Versions by being accompanied by acoustic drums which , by the way, are an integral part of Aidan Baker's instrument playing skills repertoire, alongside cello, bass and of course guitars and synths.

Even though as an outsider I could not state which came first the egg or the hen, both "original" versions do not do the trick for me and although Mr. Baker is an expert drum player here the drumming seems to hold back both tracks.

Following up or constructing these kind of dronescapes with an acoustic drum set, ends up in a kind of military march feel, which more than just that, but because of the lack of more creative solutions of the same, overshadows what it was supposed to be following or constructing. He is not the first one to attempt this and ironically he is not the first one to end up playing this military like drum-marches.

In some way, I think, that is why mirror drum-less versions were included in this release, but then again the egg or the hen?

Now the the saddest part of the whole experiment is that with drums or without them the music composition as such lacks really enticing melodic lines as he usually delivers but of course humanly impossible always. And this one rests on the second "not always" category.

Now as far as rating it, I as always, rate any releases with a self created and original musical language no less than 3 stars, this project more than once goes upward that constellation but short of 4.

***3.5 PA stars.

Electric guitar in hand, Aidan Baker released "Ecliptic Plane" in 2015. For ground breaking news as such, as told, this one can undoubtly be pinned down to its common address, yet Post/Math Rock, a newer genre, could well be mentioned. Main reason to do so, is that the electric guitar alongside flowing synths compositional structures are raw and sophisticated simultaneously as some Post/Math structures.

Anyway in this (un)controllable taggings, Aidan Baker's style has always stepped indifferently wherever his creativity leads on and the real deal about Ecliptic Planes goes beyond all this info.

Hypnotic, uninterrupted, strangely beautiful, addictive musical structures display shamelessly the altitudes Baker's self made musical idiom has reached and holds no quarter in doing so.

Rating this work on a purely Prog Electronic basis feels uncommonly satisfying and defying. Needless to say the droning/shoegazing electric guitar based compositions are mostly its main feature, which is quiet welcomed in a world where synths abound. And it is not only that all music structures found in each mili-second of this obscure masterpiece are totally inspired and perfectly threaded, but above all its inherent addictive nature certainly sets it above the highly respectable 4 stars rating alone.

***** 5 "small wonder" PA stars.

Anyway, "Stimmt", 2015, is no exception. Closer to Krautrock even Psychedelic or Heavy prog, rather than electronic prog as such. Its charms are abundant as its energized performances, adding the topping with unique and mutable songwriting signatures.

Track 1- Dance of the Entartet is heavy prog related. Its exploding electric guitar chords certainly set it in this category. 4 stars

Track 2- Atemlos, slow paced cosmic Krautrock, tainted with a bluesy like rhythm and a "Frippiesque" distant guitar soloing. 3 stars

Track 3- Transverse Motion, a slowly ascending Krautrock rocker, plays along the lines of straight forward simplicity and highly rich and complex arrangements, alongside extreme noise filters and its inevitable uprising pinnacle. 4 stars

Track 4- Mir. Dreamy percussions open the stage for an even dreamier electric guitar melody line and a highly hypnotic synths background accompanied by abstract whispers, which built up one of this releases most memorable highlights (Steven Wilson like but without any cheesy momentums). 4.5 stars

Track 5- Starken. Counterpoints the previous track's sweetness with Black Sabbathesque deep falling electric guitar minor chords, as its clashing drumming and its pin-pointing deep bottom bass line. Fun considering the Black Sabbath structure and its unexpected influence in Baker's catalogue. 3 stars.

Track 6- Somate I, could be set in the dark/drone/shoegaze/noise styling, yet its unfriendliness is close to RiO's standards. 3.5 stars.

Track 7- Somate II, still runs on its sibling direction but offers a more polished "roughness" and experimental focus that could turn to be the delight of any RiO's or AV's follower. 4 stars

Track 8- Quer, returns to the heavy prog mode and proposes a more Aidan Baker approach, therefore its uniqueness overshadows its rootings and offers in return an extraordinary (but kind of short) sonic experience. 3.5 stars.

Resolut, the closing 9th track, probably this work's best track, moves between all the previous track's stylistic elements, transmuting them into a single, perfectly balanced and flawless composition. 5 stars.

Adding up these abstact numberings > 2/3s + 2/3.5s + 3/4s + 1/4.5 + 1/5 equals **** 4 PA stars.