Bass 305 were, at one point in time, releasing a new album every year. Now fans have to wait a decade. Their newest have come literally once every ten years. This Bass Resurrection; another album title that has to do with coming back; is even more of a tease as it’s initially promoted as a limited edition of 305 CDs; actual Compact Discs; a throwback to their 1990s heyday. Fans who miss out have to wait even longer to hear it.

Is it worth the wait? Well, it’s the best Bass 305 album since their 1995 Departure, which doesn’t mean much considering every album since has been way below par. This set pays homage to Digital Bass and Bass The Future, but Virtual Bass is their real magnum opus. An album comparable to that would be a return to form. This is merely a return to decency, which, after all these years, is still a pleasant surprise.

What’s even more surprising are collabs with not only past labelmates Techno Bass Crew and Underground Bass Masters but rivals Techmaster PEB and Bass Mekanik; the latter of which includes the album’s best music. Good Versus Evil is a frustrating listen though as the angelic piano chorus; this beautiful bit should’ve been looped to no end; is abandoned halfway in. A similar thing happens on Outer World.

What’s up with all the rehashing? I don’t like the idea of remakes in general. Remaking your own songs when there’s nothing wrong with the originals, not to mention the fact that you’ve already remade them before in the past, is just absurd. Even worse are the Quad City songs; the Bassheads anthem is so damn annoying; and the Comeback Mash-Up at the end. These tracks make no sense on a new Bass 305 album.

Dreamer, on the other hand, is a conceptual improvement over its Cryptobass demo version. Bass Love Ballad should’ve also been given a proper title, but it too sounds nice. Add One Small Step; these Florida boys have always been enamored with the purported Apollo moon missions; to the list of standouts and you start to realize the best moments of this Resurrection revolve not around Bass but pianos.

my rating : 3 of 5

2021