Aidan Baker

'Already Drowning' (album stream)

BY Alex HudsonPublished Mar 12, 2013

Prolific Canadian experimentalist Aidan Baker is heading back our way with yet another album. His latest solo effort is called Already Drowning, and it's out on April 15 through Gizeh Records. In the meantime, you can stream the whole thing at Exclaim.ca.

While this album is billed as a solo endeavour, it features some prominent guest appearances, with a different female vocalist (or vocalists) appearing on each track. These singers are Liz Hysen (Picastro), Carla Bozulich (Evangelista, the Geraldine Fibbers, Ethyl Meatplow), Jessica Bailiff, Clara Engel, Geneviève Castrée (aka Ô Paon), Joanna Kupnicka, Maude Oswald and Valérie Niederoest (Toboggan).

The seven-song cycle was inspired by myths about female water spirits. According to a press release, "the tracks on this album are much more structured and song-oriented, embracing a minimalist post-rock, slowcore style."

Near-nine-minute opener "Already Drowning" begins with jazzy quietness before swelling to a noise-soaked climax, while "30 Days/30 Nights" builds to dreamy crescendos and "Mein Zwilling, Mein Verlorener" is anchored by mellow acoustic plucking.

Hear all this and more below. See Baker's tour schedule here and pre-order the record here.

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