Bardo Pond - Ticket Crystals
by Andrew Carver
published: 19 / 6 / 2006
Label:
Select Label
Format: CD
intro
Placid-sounding combination of trance, space rock, drone and krautrcck on latest offering from durable Philadelphia-based psychedelic act Bardo Pond
Philadelphia’s Bardo Pond has been turning out ultrafuzzy, slow tempo space rock for more than a decade. On ‘Ticket Crystals’, this five-person group once again takes its cues from trance, space rock, drone, and krautrock to create a psychedelic work that creates a mellow mood from outright dissonance. Even when the distortion reaches a fever pitch, the music has a peaceful, stoned mood. In ‘Destroying Angel’ crushing fuzz jockeys with wah-inflected feedback as Isobel Sollenberger’s plaintive voice trades off with Ed Fansworth’s drum rolls. The restful ‘Isle” features Isobel’s flute and fingerpicked acoustic guitar and is more akin to the work of freak-folk performers like Espers and Nick Castro. A reverberating electric guitar is kept on a tight leash for starters, but gradually builds to a greater but not overwhelming role. Other sounds, like the jangling bells in ‘Lost Word’ provide variety to a soundscape that could have been turned into one long song. ‘FC II’ once again gives a dominant role to Sollenberger, this time on violin, though her droning bow has some competition from Clint Takeda’s dub-style bass lines. The longest song on the album at more than 18 minutes, it too increases the feedback as it progresses and is the clearest example of the band’s krautrock influence on the disc. The band also throws in one wild card - a drugged out interpretation of the Beatles’ ‘Cry Baby Cry’. The cover’s booming acoustic guitar and Sollenberger’s narcotic vocals make for an ominous listening experience, the sole departure from the album’s otherwise placid sound.
Track Listing:-
1 Destroying Angel2 Isle
3 Lost Word
4 Cry Baby Cry
5 Fcll
6 Moonshine
7 Endurance
8 Montana Scara II
Band Links:-
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Bardo-Pond/171784216179634http://www.threelobed.com/bardo/
http://bardopond.com/
https://twitter.com/lemurhouse
interviews |
|
Interview (2007) |
|
| Since 1989 Philadelphia space rock act Bardo Pond have recorded countless albums and toured alongside the likes of Mogwai,Dinosaur Jr and Acid Mothers Temple. Guitarist Michael Gibbons chats to Dominic Simpson about the band's latest album 'Ticket Crystals' and the band's unique methods of recording |
reviews |
|
Under the Pines (2017) |
|
| More than welcome return from the American purveyors of psychedelic rock Bardo Pond with an album that rises above all clichés of what fuzzed out guitar noise should sound like |
| Peace on Venus (2013) |
| Bardo Pond (2011) |
most viewed articles
current edition
Peter Doherty - Blackheath Halls, Blackheath and Palace Halls, Watford, 18/3/2025 and 21/3/2025John Philip Shenale - Interview
Max Bianco and the BlueHearts - Troubadour, London, 29/3/2025
Yardbirds - Interview with Jim McCarty
Deb Googe and Cara Tivey - Interview
Vapors - Interview
Armory Show - Interview with Richard Jobson
Johnny Cash - Video Vault
Kim Wilde - Photoscapes
Waeve - Club Academy, Manchester, 18/3/2025
most viewed reviews
current edition
Bryan Ferry and Amelia Barrett - Loose TalkIvor Game - When Will You Fall Into My Loving Arms?
Gabriel Moreno - Nights in the Belly of Bohemia
Bryan Adams - Live at the Royal Albert Hall 2024
Doris Brendel and Lee Dunham - Big Blue Sky
Brooke Combe - Dancing at the Edge of the World
Leon Bridges - Leon
FKA twigs - Eusexua
Mystery Fix - Life to Life
Various - Ambientale
Pennyblackmusic Regular Contributors
Adrian Janes
Amanda J. Window
Andrew Twambley
Anthony Dhanendran
Benjamin Howarth
Cila Warncke
Daniel Cressey
Darren Aston
Dastardly
Dave Goodwin
Denzil Watson
Dominic B. Simpson
Eoghan Lyng
Fiona Hutchings
Harry Sherriff
Helen Tipping
Jamie Rowland
John Clarkson
Julie Cruickshank
Kimberly Bright
Lisa Torem
Maarten Schiethart