Bass Communion/Modelbau
Analysis Reveals Nothing Of Substance
(Lumberton Trading Company)
There is a bit of a story behind this release. Firstly, you need to know that Bass Communion is Steven Wilson, the man behind New Prog stars Porcupine Tree and a prolific and in demand re-mixer and podcaster. When he was invited to appear at a Fourth Dimension label event at London's Cafe OTO in May 2024, he agreed on the condition that his long-time friend and collaborator Frans de Waard could join him. We are familiar with both of those names, having interviewed Steven Wilson for OUTSIDELEFT previously and reviewed several of the books published on Frans's Korm Plastics Books imprint. When the pair met up in London at Steven's studio to prepare for the show, they not only rehearsed, but also spontaneously recorded a bunch of new material together. That was only natural. given their long standing relationship and Wilson's habitual collaboration instinct, with his Bass Communion incarnation having collaborated with Muslimgauze, Vidna Obmana/Dirk Serries, Colin Potter, Jonathan Coleclough, and Andrew Liles. Frans himself has worked with Orphax, Machinefabriek, Scanner, RLW and many more as well as creating his own music over the years as both Modelbau and Kapotte Muziek. They fell into this pretty easily.
The result, 'Analysis Reveals Nothing of Substance' reflects that meeting of like minds and radiates two people completely attuned to each other as the music unfolds and unfurls throughout its 70 minute-plus duration. As the hyperbole on Fourth Dimension's site (Lumberton Trading Company being a sub label) puts it "In the manner of jazz improvisers of yore, there’s something deeply alchemical afoot as the lo-fi field hisses and creaks, electronic gestures and opalescent patterns emulsify into new forms. From the garbled chatter of birds and lost space probe bleeps of ‘Murder of Automatons’, to the dishevelled ambient glare of ‘Iridescent Caducary of Scars’, or the eerie tones, death rattle pulses and metallic clanging of ‘Crepuscular Cicatrix’, everything is drizzled in an oppressive sense of 21st century disquiet."
Indeed. In fact this serves as the perfect melding together of the direction signalled in Bass Communion's 2024's 'The Itself of Itself' and the amazing and evocative soundscapes and sonic diversions Frans has created with Modelbau over the past fifteen years. In fact, if you had to put a percentage on this, you could say it is 60% Modelbau/40% Bass Communion. But who really listens to any album like that?' Suffice to say 'Analysis Reveals Nothing of Substance' contains a rare and intuitive feel for the possibilities that open up when you truly explore the hidden depths and innovative corners of electronic music in a way that only this pair of experienced and supremely qualified adventurers can.
Just one more thing (said in a Columbo voice). The packaging and presentation of this is honestly one of the best I have seen on a CD and most certainly is streets ahead of any major label offering (which are invariably minimal, cheap looking and flimsy slip cases). Coming as a gatefold DigiPak with a substantial full colour booklet, heavy card sleeve and obi strip, this represents the gold standard for a CD. Fourth Dimension and its labels do not offer downloads or streaming and have no Bandcamp site. All releases are strictly physical format (CD and record) only, which means they pride themselves on quality and are instantly collectable as pressings are limited and re-presses rare. What do you do with an obi strip, though? They are silly things really. I think I might just glue it on to stop it getting lost!
Sold out in advance at the label's shop, they tell me their distributors have copies out in various online and real record stores, so if you want to treat yourself, you'd better get hunting!
Essential Information:
This may be sold out at the Fourth Dimension shop but you can get lots of other goodies on there and they have some good bundle deals running too.
Modelbau releases can be found at the Korm Plastics Bandcamp site, along with much, much more.
Main image: CD cover. Credit - Carl Glover archive. Used for critical review purposes only
