Bardo Pond
Volume 8

I approached the psychedelia of brothers John and Michael Gibbons purely by chance. There was this historic musician from the Italian alternative scene who criticized Piero Scaruffi because he preferred "Bufo Alvarius, Amen 29:15" (Drunken Fish Records) over Radiohead's "The Bends" (Parlophone). That's how I first listened to Bardo Pond and they became one of my favorite bands, and I consider them (contrary to this so-called musician) one of the fundamental entities of the genre in the last twenty years. Fortunately, they are a very prolific band (something that many would consider a flaw) and consequently, I never feel left alone. On February 2nd, their next album, "Volume 8" (Fire Records), will be released, which continues a series of experimental recordings that started in 2000 while staying true to the conceptual and musical content of the group, inspired by recreating that state of meditative suspension in the void that the Tibetans call "bardo."

From the first notes of "Kailash," we immediately recognize the imprint of the sound of the Philadelphia group. Synthetic atmospheres serve as the backdrop to a massive psychedelic space-rock sound mingling with the flute, creating an ideal meeting point between tradition and renewal. "Flayed Wish," the acoustic ballad "Power Children," project us instead into a meditative character dimension filled with echo and reverberations and interference, opening our minds to hallucinated visions full of acidic suggestions. "Cud" can be defined as a small glimpse of blues psychedelia in the classic style of Ry Cooder. But the core of the album is clearly constituted by the concluding track "And I Will," where Isobel Sollenberger's sovereign voice and usual evocative performance reign, and the band excels in creating those monolithic noise, drone-fueled psychedelic sounds.

"Volume 8" is not Bardo Pond's best album, and it certainly won't be considered the best album of the year 2018, but as has always happened in the past, their music provides a solid certainty and a solid point of reference that will faithfully guide you in times of uncertainty and when you need to recharge.