A new release from the legendary psychedelic explorers Bardo Pond dropped on February 23rd as part of their extensive archive recordings series. Volume 9 is an incisive journey into their hypnotic sound and was recorded in the early 2000s, a heady mix of acoustic ambience and menacing distortion.
Philly-based Bardo Pond is an infamous purveyor of long-form stoner rock, and they embrace their sludge storms with graceful nods to Hawkwind, Earth, and My Bloody Valentine. For anyone unfamiliar with Bardo Pond, Volume 9 leans into their mesmeric practice with reckless abandon.
Two tracks on Volume 9 were recorded with ace percussionist Michael Zanghi (Kurt Vile/The War On Drugs) and the two-part “War Is Over,” a lilting Pink Floydian strum that’s invaded by unreconstructed noise. The Zanghi collaboration is an Eastern-facing mantra with percussive flurries and distorted modal shifts, like listening on the other side of feedback.
Volume 9 contains just four tracks, with a couple of them quite long. The eleven-minute-plus “Conjunctio” features wicked distortion and the creepy sound effects Bardo Pond is known for. “The Nine Doubts” is another distorted outer space exploration, but maybe it’s the inner space the band explores.
“War Is Over Part 1” is gentler and shorter at just over three minutes. The distortion and feedback are gone, featuring more of a tranquil vibe. “War Is Over Part 2” continues the dreamy, relaxed vibe, but this time, it stretches on for more than twenty-one minutes. The length of the second part gives the song a bit of a post-rock feel as it builds in tension, enhanced by psychedelic flourishes.
Bardo Pond has been around for a long time – since the Nineties – crafting innovative psychedelic music. They’ve released a ton of albums over the years, so if you’re looking to start a journey into their discography, Volume 9 from their archives series is as good a place as any to start. Enjoy!
Check out Volume 9 by Bardo Pond on Bandcamp here.
Support Bardo Pond by finding them on Bandcamp.
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