AIDAN BAKER (At The Base Of The Mind Is Coiled A Serpent) CD
Aidan Baker's amount of releases reminds me to the 50's when is was very usual that Jazz musicians like John Coltrane f.e. had released about 10 records in only one year. Baker is hyper-creative, and the list of all his solo releases, poetries, collaborations and different musical projects like Nadja, ARC or Mnemosyne is nearly endless. And to make it just more confusing, all his works have been released by different labels. This solo album, released in 2004 by the French label Le Cri De La Harpe, contains five long songs which have been recorded live in Toronto in April 2003 and then re-worked and manipulated three months later.
Aidan Baker only uses an electric guitar, but the number of tones he plays with his instrument are really amazing. Once again he is exploring and desconstructing the sonic possibilities of the electric guitar and the result are gorgeous ambient soundscapes that are flowing like molten lava through the speakers. I can hear a psychedelic approach in this songs, because the sounds are like a mandala or a multi-coloured kaleidoscope, where you don't know what the next turn reveals, without losing its hypnotic substance. Sometimes, the soundscapes are becoming a little bit darker, as if a cloud is moving before the sun, but it's more like like the natural game of shadow and light instead of dragging the listener into a bleak and black hole. As so often when I'm listening to Aidan Baker's music, I can hear some sort of Eastern vibe in his music.
Maybe it belongs only to my imagination, but good music should always inspire the listener. The strange sounding song titles emphasizes my Eastern-influenced phantasies, but words like "Khiondhecwi (Animator)" or "Esken (Bone-dweller)" maybe have nothing in common with any Eastern culture or language. Anyway, listening to this album is like good and intense meditation and gives me a perfect relaxation. Aidan Baker still gives a shit about any commercial trends out there (what I totally appreciate!) and has a bigger interest in experimentation and thoughtful expression. It's been a long time ago, since I've listen to such an ambitious work of ambient music.
(KK)