SISTERS OREGON

Bass Communion is a solo project for Stephen Wilson, lead man for Porcupine Tree who also releases solo projects under his own name. Bass Communion is much different from what most fans are used to as far as his music goes however. Typically, under this moniker, Wilson makes experimental, musique concrete albums which uses electronic manipulation and effects to create some interesting soundscapes which are not based on melody.

The EP 'Sisters Oregon' is a four-part composition which uses a boys choir for source material. The choir was originally recorded at Air Studio in London on September 2014. The final mixing and assembly of the EP was done in June of 2017, and this was released on 10' and 12' vinyl in October of 2017, and then later made available as a FLAC download in 2019.

Parts 1 and 2 take up the first side of the vinyl which lasts 14 minutes. The music is very ambient consisting of low drones that fade in and out while oscillating and while airy effects swirl around. There are distant tones that occasionally make themselves heard, but they are soft and almost indiscernible. Listening closely, you can hear some interesting manipulation going on in the low drones which gives it all an intriguing sound and texture. Later on in the track, sustained tones ebb and flow having more of a notational sound and slowly increase in intensity as soft, percussive noises mark the passage of time. The tonal drone continues, and one can hear the buried human vocal element come through from time to time, but this is usually hard to pick out as the sounds are manipulated to sound more like instrumentation than vocals. All the while, this stays sparse and ambient-like and after the tone-drones reach a peak, they begin to fade more quickly as they recede into the distance.

Parts 3 and 4 are combined on the second half of the disc and have a duration of just over 12 minutes. This time we fade into a drone that retains its chordal tones and is more of a medium pitch with the tones more discernable but also more unchanging. As the track nears 4 minutes, there is a sudden heavy and low sound that reverberates until it disappears, and then sustained tones create a slow and mesmerizing series that could almost be considered melodic. The notes are so sustained however, that it isn't possible to pick out any real melody, but they definitely vary and swirl around each other in random sequences and durations. The vocal aspect becomes more clear as it continues, especially in the higher notes.

This particular recording is one of the better Bass Communion albums in that the music is very peaceful with a sense of longing or solitude. The soundscapes are more variant and don't dwell so much on singular sounds, but add variation in tones and textures keeping things interesting and moving forward. The best way to experience this and pretty much any of the Bass Communion recordings is with headphones so you can totally immerse yourself in the soundscapes. Wilson is definitely a talented musician and as such, he has many outlets for his creativity, and even though some don't always understand his music, you can't debate the fact that he is inventive. His use of electronic manipulation with the use of interesting and sometimes unusual source material is what makes him one of the unique talents in the progressive electronic genre, but unfortunately, it tends to get ignored compared to some of his more accessible music.