Aidan Baker & Tomas Järmyr – Werl (DCD Album – Consouling Sounds)

Genre/Influences: Psychedelic & apocalyptic-rock, ambient, experimental.

Background/Info: Aidan Baker needs no real introduction, but Swedish drummer Tomas Järmyr is probably a less familiar name. Both artists have joined forces to compose this double disc featuring Aidan Baker on guitar and Tomas Järmyr on drums. The album “Werl” reveals eight compositions that have been released on the Belgian label Consouling Sounds.

Content: “Werl” is characterized by a slow progression in structures and sound sculptures. The guitar playing has a real hypnotic feel, that brings you on a psychedelic voyage through imaginary spaces and later on revealing a darker and pure apocalyptic feeling.

The second disc sounds a bit more ambient-like. “Werl” doesn’t contain many sound layera, which reinforces the impact of each sound. There’s an experimental approach with the playing of the instruments. The guitar sometimes becomes a kind of effect resulting in a rather abstract sound.

+ + + : “Werl” makes me think of an experimental jam session between two musicians. It sounds improvised and yet characterized by a real structure leading towards a sound cataclysm. There are noticeable experimental treats running through this opus while I especially like the more ambient side of the work like “Werl VI”.

– – – : The experimental aspect of the work is not exactly accessible for a wider audience. It definitely is an interesting concept, but not always that cohesive.

Conclusion: Aidan Baker & Tomas Järmyr realized a kind of modern and totally weird orchestra for guitar and drums. Both artiss operate more like sound surgeons instead of musicians, which will appeal to experimental freaks.

Best songs: “Werl VI”, “Werl I”.

Rate: (6).

Bands: www .facebook .com /AidanBakerMusic / www .facebook .com /tomasjarmyrofficial

Label: http ://consouling .be / www .facebook .com /ConsoulingSounds

Since you’re here …

… we have a small favour to ask. More people are reading Side-Line Magazine than ever but advertising revenues across the media are falling fast. And unlike many news organisations, we haven’t put up a paywall – we want to keep our journalism as open as we can. So you can see why we need to ask for your help.

Side-Line’s independent journalism takes a lot of time, money and hard work to produce. But we do it because we want to push the artists we like and who are equally fighting to survive.

If everyone who reads our reporting, who likes it, helps fund it, our future would be much more secure. For as little as 5 US$, you can support Side-Line Magazine – and it only takes a minute. Thank you.

The donations are safely powered by Paypal.