I was never sure what exactly a bardo pond is. I mean, I thought it was a blatant LSD reference. But as guitarist Clint Takeda describes it, the bardo pond is only slightly a drug reference.

Bardo comes from the Tibetan Book of the Dead, and ‘pond’ just sounded cool in conjunction with the other word. Bardo is the point where a soul arrives upon its corporal body as it is dying. During the course of the Bardo there is a determination as to where the soul will then proceed to, based upon the soul’s prior life experiences. This moment and place was determined to be a good place for fishing, hence “pond” was added to the name.

For as long as I’ve been a fan of the group, a bardo pond is, in my mind, a swampy, pungent sinkhole of sluge. At least that’s what you would believe listening to Bardo Pond‘s trademark superfuzz – guitars so thick and fuzzy that they’re rendered practially inpenetrable. I wouldn’t be surprised to learn that the band’s three guitarists use two Big Muff pedals or more a piece. It’s a sound that’s as rare and distinct of a trademark as any. You know Bardo Pond when you hear it, and they’ve been going strong with their formula for almost 20 years.

In 2011, the Philadelphia spirit warriors and tonal researchers finally released a self-titled record. Generally speaking, naming a record after yourself most often happens during the debut process, when the band considers the work their overarching statement, or in the absence of a better name. There’s no telling what the band is implying in this case, nor what the unsettling Manga eyes are about, but it probably doesn’t matter anyway. Bardo Pond is the group’s first effort in four years (save for a run of EPs and Three Lobed collaborations), and… not much has changed. If you like Bardo Pond, you will like this record. If you don’t, you won’t. But if you like Bardo Pond and were hoping to hear them discover new approaches, you’re not in luck this time.

Bardo Pond revisits the band’s aforementioned aesthetic – growling monolithic guitars, Isobel Sollenberger’s free-floating affected vocals buried deep in the mix, heavy drones, and a mid-tempo stomp – the waters where proto-stoner metal, explosive psych, freak folk, and the occasional flute solo meet. Jethro Tull on the bad brown acid, or Sunn o))) in an animated mood, Bardo Pond has, and always will, meet somewhere in the middle. While Bardo Pond fails to capture the urgency and freshness of Set and Setting and On the Ellipse, the flashes of brilliance throughout suggest that Bardo Pond could be a transitional record, and perhaps future endeavors may prove Bardo Pond as a more shape-shifting entity than perviously thought.

When Bardo Pond hits the type of nasty groove that earns them summa cum laude at Hawkwind’s School of Demonology, it’s pretty spectacular. We first heard it crystalize on Ticket Crystals‘ “Endurance,” and this record’s “Don’t Know About You” brings it fully into focus, replete with a battle cry that Bardo Pond is happy to sit and wait for the Rapture (the Biblical one, not the shitty dance punk band). “Just Once” is a fine example of dynamicism and juxtaposition – vibing on a Linda Perhacs-evocative Laurel Canyon acoustic blues jam, harmonica and all, before the subterranean guitar sludge flood knocks the wind out of your cerebral cortex. We’re also treated to Bardo Pond going full-prog on the 21-minute multi-movement “Undone.” While the separate components of the piece are nothing new or benchmarking, the scope and ambition is admirable nonetheless. And the band reaches new melodic heights on “The Stars Behind.” If you haven’t familiarized yourself with Bardo Pond, you can add this jam along with 1999’s Matador-released Set and Setting to your welcome package.

Make no mistake – anything Bardo Pond lays to tape is heavy, majestic, and crafty. They are the vanguard of modern acid rock. Their signature beacons – the loosey goosey campfire acoustic sessions meshed with menacing monuments of decibel-clipping decimation and a vaguely cultish vibe that suggests Bardo Pond is totally a nomadic group of gypsies - has always made the collective compelling to listen to. And those sounds are all their own – something countless artists strive for but never find. However, after two decades of writing and recording, it may be time for Bardo Pond to travel a bit further down the rabbit hole to see what they can find. I’d love to hear what they bring back.

Bardo Pond is available in stores and online everywhere as of yesterday courtesy of Fire Records. Czech it!

MP3 :::
Bardo Pond – Don’t Know About You