Bruce Gilbert And BAW — Diluvial

Here’s a good, old-fashioned jewel case cd (it’s been a while), from the Touch label. It features the work of Bruce Gilbert and BAW (A. David Crawforth and Naomi Siderfin); whilst BAW are new to me, Gilbert is, of course, the Bruce from Wire - the seminal 1970s punk band. Here, the three collaborate on an album of subtle, low-key electronics; mixed in with field recordings and more rhythmic passages. There’s seven tracks, ranging from around nine minutes to over thirteen, and they run into each other; so it’s a lengthy listen.

The album begins with strong, ambient drones, which swell in waves. Around the edge of the speakers, more detailed, kinetic sounds creep and flutter; these sounds are processed and stretched, making them very distinct from the snaking lines beneath them. This is a reasonable dichotomy for much of the trio’s modus operandi: lengthy, droning/‘static’ material, combined with more knotty, processed details. The second piece, ‘The Expanse’, is constructed mainly using the latter - microsounds (possibly processed bird noises), scraping and scratching, and echoing raindrops; though it does mark out a long, bare, rhythmic section with this panning pitter-patter - which is itself preceded by a field recording of rain. The third track, ‘Dry Land’, is dominated by a very nice recording of trees; shaking in a blustery, barren wind - it’s surprisingly powerful. These ‘droning’ sounds are interrupted, intermittently, by an equally nice, hollow-sounding, synth rattle; revolving around the speakers. ‘Lights’, the next piece, conjures up a name that actually slots alongside the trio very well: Omit. The creeping, resonant drones and echoing rhythms recall the bleak work of the New Zealand legend, and that’s possibly a very simple shorthand for Diluvial: a warmer, more polished Omit. From here, the album ‘takes off’ - though not with any great fireworks, or fanfares. The last three tracks seem to evoke fantastical, science-fiction landscapes and environments; they seem more fleshed out than the previous works, for some reason. They feature lots of synth and processed sounds, twittering loops, dark, rumbling drones, muffled thuds and strange, near-vocal lines. At times it is like an electronic realisation of a vibrant forest. The final track, though, has a less organic feel to it; almost evoking similar atmospheres to the Alien films - that ‘run-down’, industrial, sci-fi tone.

I must admit that at first, I was very non-plussed by Diluvial, but each further listen drew me in closer. It is slow and unrushed, but that becomes a virtue once it’s weaved it’s spell. This paced unfolding is even more impressive, when you consider that it’s the work of a trio. If I was to nitpick, I’d whinge about the over-use of stereo panning, and too much echoing that sounds the same; but these are, essentially, nitpicks. The sense of narrative actually reminds me of Parmegiani’s La Création Du Monde, and if the album had been pitched to me as Parmegiani meets Omit, I would have been very excited to hear it. It doesn’t really reach those potential heights, but it is a very good release.