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 Angel
2 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/171784216179634
http://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

digital downloads

Amazon.co.uk Widgets

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)