HEADWIND/TAILWIND (WITH FREIBAND)

Let me start by clarifying that this was my first experience of both Bass Communion and Freiband which is why I lack any reference to what either of these artists are known for with their full length studio output.

I've been interested in Bass Communion for quite some time now seeing that it's one of Steve Wilson's lesser known side projects, but haven't really had the will nor the additional funds to invest $12 in an album off iTunes. Luckily a few month back Spotify added this EP split between Bass Communion and Freiband to their digital library and I immediately took the opportunity to explore its music.

Even though I knew that Bass Communion was a project mainly based in the Progressive Electronic genre I was truly surprised by how minimalistic this music sounded. It wasn't the ambient style that I've previously encountered on works of Brian Eno or Robert Fripp, for that matter, since I sensed a clear direction into which the music was moving. Still this completely minimalistic style felt shocking considering that it was released in 2009 by a popular artist most known for heavy rock music!

The opening track by Freiband is titled Headwind and is a low-key collage of sounds all based in a cold and very abstract mood that I originally found to be pretty impressive. Unfortunately this moody was ruined by the terrible high-pitch sounds that were added towards the 4th minute of the composition and made the next few minutes really unpleasant to sit through. Eventually, towards the 8th minute, the composition returned to its calm beginnings but not without leaving the aftershock from the previous section. It really made me wonder if this piece was suppose to be some sort of a test to see the audience reaction, but what is the point in doing that? Are we just a bunch of primitive test rats that should be exposed to everything that artists throw at us without getting our say on the matter?

The second composition is titled Tailwind and happens to be a remix of Headwind which is done by Bass Communion using only the original track as its source material. Sound like an interesting experiment doesn't it? Well, the result is so horrifyingly unpleasant that I almost considered switching off the sounds once it got to that hideous 4th minute mark. Unlike the last time, Tailwind actually increases the unbearable high-pitch sounds that will most probably drive any sane person up the wall. This is coming from someone who actually managed to sit through Lou Reed's notorious Metal Machine Music without once questioning the integrity of the artist!

It goes without saying that this wasn't the introduction to Bass Communion that I was hoping for. At the same time this experience did not make me prejudices against Bass Communion's other works and I will gladly give them a go in due time.

*** star songs: Headwind (10:33)

** star songs: Tailwind (10:27)

The EP called "Haze Shrapnel" by Bass Communion consisted of 1 track that was an outtake from "Molotov and Haze", the outtake being called the same as the ep title. The 2nd track that was added to this EP was a remix done by Freidband. That EP was so minimal that it went nowhere, just plain droning with a few tones weaving in and out, there was a reason it was an outtake, and the remix was even less than that consisting only of the drone.

This album "Headwind" is a companion EP to that "Haze Shrapnel EP. Except now the main track 'Headwind' is an original track done by Freiband and this time Bass Communion (Steve Wilson) does the remix using only the source material. The original track is much better than the one from "Haze Shrapnel" and actually is a lot more interesting, but definitely not mainstream, not by a long way. It is still a study in minimalism, as to be expected, but the music is much better and interesting, there is direction to the overall track and more variation in the sound. The music is beautiful and trandenscent., even elevating. Great sound to use with the headphones. The remix is going to be of most interest because of Bass Communion, or Steven Wilson. The remix here is much more interesting than the remix from the companion EP. This sounds more like the stylizing of BC's own albums, except for the drone, which is an unexpected high pitch instead of the expected lower pitch drone. The pitch is not annoying, but is reminiscent of a bunch of cicadas in a tree (or maybe tree frogs, but more steady). Electronic tones and textures swirl around. The remix sounds nothing like the original here, but it is interesting how you can remix something and not add any other material and still have a very original sounding track. Also very meditative and minimal. Not quite as good as the original, but still nice.

This is not the best offering from Bass Communion, but it's still much better than the companion EP. Still, it's something I would listen to more often than "Haze Shrapnel" which is just boring. This is one of the few cases where an outtake made by Steven Wilson would have been better off not released. Not the case with this record though, this one is good enough, but it is also non-essential, there are better BC albums out there. 3 stars.