Aidan Baker: Swimming in Sound

[D_Davis]

Aidan Baker: Swimming in Sound



With over 90 releases to his credit, Aidan Baker is the undisputed king of post-ambient-neo-shoegaze-guitar-based drone and sad-core metal. Or something. Anyhow, he's been a hidden treasure for many years with his tapes and CDrs circulating among those in the know. And he has enjoyed more "mainstream" success (ha!) with his band Nadja - they make accessible twenty-minute long metal drone tracks. Anyhow, Mr. Baker has been releasing a ton of stuff lately on his Bandcamp page - stuff that has been long out of print. I'm going to be making my through his catalog, reporting my discoveries along the way.

[D_Davis]

Aidan Baker - Letters - 2002


Two words spring to mind when listening to Baker's work - glacial and patience.

His compositions tend to move at glacial speeds, and they need patience to fully enjoy.

"The Letters of Your Name are Still a Scar on my Ears," is the 20-minute long opener for Letters. It takes about 15 minutes before anything resembling a melody begins to appear from beneath the swirl of the sonic soup. I am reminded of a more laid back and mellow version of Pink Floyd's "Echoes". It's a beautiful piece of music, especially the final 7 minutes. There is hope and tranquility found within the noise.

The second, and final track, "I Flay My Skin to Write These Letters to You," is a darker piece of music. It reminds me a boat being lost at sea during a raging storm; rising and falling upon the crest of the waves, being tossed to and fro as it is pummeled by wind and rain. Oceanic themes and motifs come easy to Baker, and are things he purposefully conjures again and again. Unlike the opening composition, this one lacks the sense of hope; it is, instead, far more somber, creating a sense of loss.

Together these two tracks form an interesting album. What is most interesting to note is how the two are arranged. We begin the album with hope, but end with loss, thus creating an entirely different experience had the two tracks been switched in order. If anything, Baker displays an uncanny ear for this kind of detail. While he paints with broad, abstract strokes, he is still able to fined and amplify minute emotions.

[D_Davis]

Aidan Baker - Wound Culture - 2002



Relatively speaking, Wound Culture's opening track "K" is downright poppy. A simple lead guitar part is joined by some soft stings and a quiet rhythm track. Gone is the drone, feedback, and digital noise. For all of Baker's experimentation, he can still, and often does, write some very pretty songs.

"Merge" moves things back into the drone territory before giving way to the album's centerpiece, "Our Needs Bear No Relation to our Desires," a track that could easily appear on an early Red House Painters album. It is a ten-minute long sad-core tune perfect for early mornings. It demonstrates Baker's ability to write haunting vocal melodies, blending into the mix becoming another thread in the tapestry of sound.

"Untitled 2" closes the album on a somber note, thus reminding us of the territory in which Baker feels most comfortable - the droning soundscape. The tones he creates with his guitar and otherworldly, and his skill is something to be admired.

Wound Culture is a great album for those listeners interested in cracking Baker's overwhelming discography.