Bardo Pond
★★★★
Volume 9
FIRE. DL/LP
A cathartic experience from the mighty Pennsylvanian psych-rockers.
In 2005, Philadelphiabased psych mavericks Bardo Pond sat down to work on instrumental pieces that would mark a shift from the more conventional material on their studio LPs. Recorded in one go, the resulting improvisatory compositions formed the basis of the Volume series. Now four-track Volume 9 features founding guitarists John and Michael Gibbons, vocalist/flautist Isobel Sollenberger, and drummer Michael Zanghi (Kurt Vile/The War On Drugs). Just as with their unusual creative union, the LP finds its fulcrum point in paradox. The acoustic core of opener Conjunctio defies gravity, providing a scaffold for dense, thundering guitars and celestial drone. Twenty-oneminute closer War Is Over Pt 2 evolves slowly into an overpowering force, not far from Sigur Rós’s () LP. Zooming out to a galactic scale, it epitomises this stunning and transformative album.