Bardo Pond

Psych stoner jams. Bardo Pond have been dousing the masses with heavy layers of distortion since before you were born. Spaced-out, sludge-minded excess and music to take drugs to from some of the best in the game. A band does not just decide to make a self-titled album 20 years into their career unless they are making a statement – and this really is good. Turn up the monitors, lie down on the couch, and drift off.

*1. Slow, hippy camp-side beginning with acoustic guitars and harmonica, space-country-twang pop psych that builds to a distorted guitar wall of cymbal crashes, chirping birds, reverbed flute. Cow tipping on Saturn. (7:19)
2. A little bit darker, a space alt-rock stomp, noisy end. (4:27)
3. Distant, dreamy hypnotic acoustic guitars, airy flute, no drums. (8:38)
*4. Sprawling space epic. More improv-sounding drums; a messy soundtrack to being stranded in the desert and hallucinating about camels, and Ozymandias. Orangeasm’s finest. (21:02)
5. More urgent, fast-paced, swirling guitars. Drums break down, and howling warm vocals come in for second half. (9:00)
*6. Arresting, slowmo, melodic, gorgeous jam. The song builds and builds on simple descending riffs, fuzz guitars, and upfront, delayed vocals. My new favorite Bardo Pond song. (12:59)
7. More mellow, hypnotic groove with lose drumming, mostly instrumental. It is relaxing and would be nice to listen to under some sort of influence. (7:28)