Bardo Pond New Compilation.

It’s crazy to me that a lot of Bardo Pond’s touring is supporting other bands. While they have been opening up for great bands for years (Sonic Youth, Acid Mothers Temple, and recently Dinosaur Jr.), they are seriously under appreciated. But if you still aren’t hip to the psychedelic jams of this Philadelphia band maybe this 2-disc collection of rare material would be a good place to start. Spacious, flowing jams spill out from the 2 CD’s to make over 2 hours of listening pleasure. Some thunder through the stereo with signature Bardo Pond white noise flare, other creek by with lazy bass lines that barely hold everything together (see: “Precious Metals”). With the smell of weed in the air, each song drifts on as though it was recorded at some unfocused rehearsal.

A lot of the slower and more spaced out material actually reminds me of some of the work Ghost has done. Differences being that Bardo Pond is strictly using electric guitars… and that they aren’t Japanese. But they do have that mystical eeriness to them that Ghost seems to capture so wonderfully. Taking tracks from the first four self-released CD-r’s (they are up to Vol. 6 now), this is not only a great collection, but also a reminder that this tremendously prolific band is constantly putting out new music. In a day where anyone and everyone is releasing CD-r’s just because it’s cheap, it’s nice to know there are some legitimate bands using the format as a way to keep constantly connected with their fan base. Don’t get me wrong, there are CD-r labels that are doing some great things, but there are only a few established bands using this format in this capacity.

For a while now the band has been recording new, non-album tracks and selling them as limited run CD-r’s at shows. But because of the keen ear of the people at All Tomorrows Parties you can enjoy them as though you snatched the songs the first time around. It’s a must for fans of the band, or for fans of chilled out psychedelic musings. - Review By Indieworkshop

Some Mp3 Of Bardo Pond:

~"Datura"~
~"Inside"~
~"Green Man"~
~"Magneto"~
~"Shadow Puppet"~
~"JD"~

art work by the band

Hip-hop has mixtapes while modern psychedelia has the limited-edition CD-ROM release -- the same principle applies, though, in terms of getting music out there, beyond "official" efforts as such. Bardo Pond are up through six collections of experiments and jams as of mid-2005, with Selections, Vol. 1-4 being just that, a sampling of the first four of these often-wonderful releases. Given that Bardo Pond's raisons d’être are indeed long improvisations recorded as they happen, it's not entirely a sudden steering away in style, but this two-disc collection generally emphasizes the strictly musical side of the band, with Isobel Sollenberger contributing only fragmentary lyrics or gentle croons on the singing front (her flute work is often prominent, in contrast). Where she does come more to the fore, as with "E Dub," she can provide an almost startling focus to the compositions, but she is more content here to go with the flow, or rather, to be carried along with it. Starting with the sample-laden, slow-and-low "Sit Sleep," Selections, Vol. 1-4 touches on everything from (relatively) short edits to extremely long, detailed jams. If anything, the collection shows that far from simply having a one-note approach, the quintet can take basic principles and use them to test out a variety of approaches towards doing one's brain in, from monstrous demi-metal riffs to near-minimalist flow and hum. The ten-minute "Before," for instance, relies on an ominous mantra/melody crossed with violent solos and steady, increasingly forceful drumming, while "Montana Sacra" has its core drone acting as a base for a series of squalling if still restrained acid rock solos, a continual trading off. "Lomand" probably shows the most variety over its own length, from majestic descending riffs and drones to seemingly endless drift.
Review By AMG.

hOME pAGE

mATADOR pAGE

ATP rECORDINGS