Mike Patton has a reputation for being the busiest man in the music industry, but if there's one person recording now who can give him a run for his money in terms of both quantity and quality, that person would have to be Aidan Baker. Even setting the near constant output of Nadja aside, Baker seems to pop up under his own name with unusual frequency in collaborations with other artists. Even more astonishing is the fact that the mere mention of his name (at least for some people) is enough to raise one's expectations and hopes for an album, and rarely are those hopes not met.

The most recent of these collaborations puts Baker alongside an equally reputable name in the world of electronic and experimental music, Eric Quach of thisquietarmy. The record, A Picture of a Picture, is pretty much what one acquainted with the work of either artist would expect from such a pairing - rolling electronic soundscapes fed with pulsing drones that seem to possess more life (somehow) than many other minimal electronic artists' work.

A Picture of a Picture is exactly what it advertises itself to be, with each of the four tracks focusing in on a particular aspect of visual art while working together to create a more expansive statement. The opener, "Imagistic Continuity", is sort of a reflection on flow. It opens slowly, with a drone so quiet that even repeated listens will have you fidgeting with your volume controls for the first twenty seconds before it swells and gives way to a soundscape of the truest kind. It brings to mind a pleasant Impressionist landscape over the span of twelve minutes before fading into "Loss of Perspective", a morose chord-based movement that perfectly encapsulates the titular concept.

Any collaborative effort is a risk. Frequently one artist seems to dominate, or the collaborators will work as if in a vacuum, playing at the same time but not creating together. This is not a problem for Baker or Quach; the two have created something with this effort that clearly belongs to both of the artists' respective zeitgeists, but stands as something that neither could have created alone. Each part of the record (I hesitate to refer to them as individual songs since they work together so well) brings a unique flavour and perspective to the album and makes use of sounds - such as the echo-y fading guitar effect in "Negative Space" - that I've not heard before on any other record. While there's little that can be said to be surprising about this album, it is rife with spirit and a genuineness that many artists seem to be unable to convey.

The bottom line is that A Picture of a Picture is an expertly crafted work, conceived and realised by two of the best artists in their field. No effort or detail was spared; the record jumps (gently) out of the speakers and dances around the room for an hour, and when all is said and done, you can't help but feel better for it.

-Lee Stablein