Search - Bardo Pond :: Dilate

Sub par pond is still good enough for me.

poniesforchrist | Brooklyn, NY United States | 04/25/2001

(4 out of 5 stars)

"bardo pond are a deceptively low-key sextet of philly musicians trafficking in an admittedly druggy but never hippified psychedelia...they are perhaps the best psych band working right now, and have proven themselves one of the best bands in the US in any genre...coming off a string of fantastic albums ("amanita", "lapsed", and "set and setting"), the hard-working bardo has released "dilate"...my first impressions are not as uniformly positive as i had hoped, considering bardo's consistently inventive, always thrilling and unique past work..."amanita" is simply one of finest guitar based blues-psych releases ever, gloriously composed and paced and with almost no missteps over an entire double album..."lapsed" went in a far heavier direction, and was also startling in its consistency and quality, a true relief from the wimpy and/or slim-witted state of rock n roll, indie or otherwise..."set and setting" was yet another new direction for the pond, utilizing new instruments and scaling back the guitar torrent to mezmerizing effect...one thing i adore about those records is their uncanny finesse as far as overall composition of the album, as well as having an absurd number of great songs on each...perhaps due to their occasional extreme noisiness, or being thought of as a drug band, the pond is unjustly ignored when people speak of the best in american music...but they deserve to be thought of as such, because with almost no compromise and with artistic abandon, they have amassed a terrific discography in the past few years..."dilate" has some stunning moments, but overall it lacks the near-perfect pacing that made their previous work so compelling...once again, they are trying new things...lyrics(!) are included for the first time, although i don't see the point, really...isobel's voice is brought to the fore on tracks like "sunrise", and it sure is lovely..."despite the roar" and "favorite uncle" are surprisingly quiet for bardo, and offer the prettiest, most mellow tracks they've recorded since 'tapir song'...over delicate acoustic picking by the superb gibbons bros., isobel coos about something or other and the result is soothing, minus the usual menace implied in earlier works..."hum" is also a lovely track..."lb." is a feral, blinding jam reminiscent of "again" from "set and setting", and features a love/luststruck ramble from isobel, who wants very much to GET IT ON. the guitars blend into a hissing, scowling, buzzing maelstrom of trippy blues...amazing. opener "two planes" is also good, with its sonar pingy sounds causing instant discombobulation for the listener...the pond's gift for hazy, druggy, dark and melancholy instrumentals is unmatched...so, while the whole record didn't gel as well as past efforts, the pond must be applauded for continuing to be themselves and pushing their own boundaries (while malkmus and friends cop out by writing songs about yul brynner)...bardo are devoted to their music, and the devotion shows on each release...some superb moments, but not as essential as "amanita", "lapsed", "set and setting", or even "bufo alvarius"...but get it and enjoy if yer into uncompromising, exciting music..."

Not a record to get mellow by

almosthappy | San Diego, CA, California | 11/23/2001

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I don't think it's fair to file Bardo Pond under Psychedelphia, a neo-psychedelic pop genre originated out of Philadelphia. Sure, the band uses many drug references and imageries in their music (especially in the titles of songs and cover arts). There is a hint of psychedelic in the air, but upon careful listening, Bardo Pond's music reveals a much wider range of emotions. Songs on this record recalls nothing of the flowery and druggy psychedelic sounds. Instead, a gripping mix of intense guitar feedbacks and drones slowly builds up, in a carefully controlled but confident pace, to one emotional high after another. Dark and hypnotic, Isobel Sollenberger's almost sensual voice snowballs the sonic energy into something that's volatile and dangerously emotional. "Dilate" calls to mind the latter-day Sonic Youth, Yo La Tengo's "And Then Nothing Turns Itself Inside Out", and Turing Machine, as opposed to some archetypical trippy Grateful Dead-esque music. Highly recommended!"

The leaders of space rock release their "tago mago"

chris | usa | 04/25/2001

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Philidelphia's Bardo Pond has long been recognized as one of the most important groups in space rock circles and with good reason. With each new release Bardo Pond creates dense layers of guitar feedback and noise over seemingly surreal vocals, creating a sound that defies most logical explanation. The only flaw is that after a while the bombast of noise can start to wear the listeners patience thin. Just how much noise can be made on one single disc? That being said, when Bardo gets it right they nail it. Tracks such as "rummination" (from Amamnita) and "flux" (from Lapsed), transport the listener to another dimemsion. So why is this album any different? With this release, the groups' 6th album, they take everything that made moments on their previous records great and expanded on them. They combine the hazy tones of Amanita with the bombast of Set & Setting to create their best album to date. Antoher reason this record stands out is the addition of more mellow instrumentaion. Acoustic guitars and other instruments are scattered thoughout the record adding atmosphere to Bardo's already surreal sound. Although this may discomfort some long time followers who believe that the main focus of space rock is to see how many distortion pedals a band can hit in one song, the change is a welcome addition and does not take away from the reocords overall "rock" sound. Bardo Pond has always been a band driven by the making of sounds and using those sounds to create an atmosphere of pure psychedelic bliss. On this record,their vision is fully realized and the results are astonishing."