Dilate

Bardo Pond | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (April 24, 2001)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Matador Records
• ASIN: B00005AU97
• Also Available in: Vinyl  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #295,704 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars sub par pond is still good enough for me., April 25, 2001

By 

"poniesforchrist" (Brooklyn, NY United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Dilate (Audio CD)

bardo pond are a deceptively low-key sextet of philly musicians trafficking in an admittedly druggy but never hippified psychedelia...they are perhaps the best psych band working right now, and have proven themselves one of the best bands in the US in any genre...

coming off a string of fantastic albums ("amanita", "lapsed", and "set and setting"), the hard-working bardo has released "dilate"...

my first impressions are not as uniformly positive as i had hoped, considering bardo's consistently inventive, always thrilling and unique past work..."amanita" is simply one of finest guitar based blues-psych releases ever, gloriously composed and paced and with almost no missteps over an entire double album..."lapsed" went in a far heavier direction, and was also startling in its consistency and quality, a true relief from the wimpy and/or slim-witted state of rock n roll, indie or otherwise..."set and setting" was yet another new direction for the pond, utilizing new instruments and scaling back the guitar torrent to mezmerizing effect...

one thing i adore about those records is their uncanny finesse as far as overall composition of the album, as well as having an absurd number of great songs on each...perhaps due to their occasional extreme noisiness, or being thought of as a drug band, the pond is unjustly ignored when people speak of the best in american music...but they deserve to be thought of as such, because with almost no compromise and with artistic abandon, they have amassed a terrific discography in the past few years...

"dilate" has some stunning moments, but overall it lacks the near-perfect pacing that made their previous work so compelling...once again, they are trying new things...lyrics(!) are included for the first time, although i don't see the point, really...isobel's voice is brought to the fore on tracks like "sunrise", and it sure is lovely...

"despite the roar" and "favorite uncle" are surprisingly quiet for bardo, and offer the prettiest, most mellow tracks they've recorded since 'tapir song'...over delicate acoustic picking by the superb gibbons bros., isobel coos about something or other and the result is soothing, minus the usual menace implied in earlier works..."hum" is also a lovely track...

"lb." is a feral, blinding jam reminiscent of "again" from "set and setting", and features a love/luststruck ramble from isobel, who wants very much to GET IT ON. the guitars blend into a hissing, scowling, buzzing maelstrom of trippy blues...amazing. opener "two planes" is also good, with its sonar pingy sounds causing instant discombobulation for the listener...the pond's gift for hazy, druggy, dark and melancholy instrumentals is unmatched...

so, while the whole record didn't gel as well as past efforts, the pond must be applauded for continuing to be themselves and pushing their own boundaries (while malkmus and friends cop out by writing songs about yul brynner)...bardo are devoted to their music, and the devotion shows on each release...

some superb moments, but not as essential as "amanita", "lapsed", "set and setting", or even "bufo alvarius"...but get it and enjoy if yer into uncompromising, exciting music...

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars not a record to get mellow by, November 23, 2001

By 

almosthappy (San Diego, CA, California) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Dilate (Audio CD)

I don't think it's fair to file Bardo Pond under Psychedelphia, a neo-psychedelic pop genre originated out of Philadelphia. Sure, the band uses many drug references and imageries in their music (especially in the titles of songs and cover arts). There is a hint of psychedelic in the air, but upon careful listening, Bardo Pond's music reveals a much wider range of emotions. Songs on this record recalls nothing of the flowery and druggy psychedelic sounds. Instead, a gripping mix of intense guitar feedbacks and drones slowly builds up, in a carefully controlled but confident pace, to one emotional high after another. Dark and hypnotic, Isobel Sollenberger's almost sensual voice snowballs the sonic energy into something that's volatile and dangerously emotional. "Dilate" calls to mind the latter-day Sonic Youth, Yo La Tengo's "And Then Nothing Turns Itself Inside Out", and Turing Machine, as opposed to some archetypical trippy Grateful Dead-esque music. Highly recommended!

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Levitation Fuel., March 23, 2002

By 

David DeShong (Tulsa, OK USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Dilate (Audio CD)

Possibly THE most underrated and unknown band in music today. Tags such as "psychedelic", "space rock", etc. certainly are applicable, but first and foremost the Pond are ROCKINROLL. It is truly criminal that so few people are in the know about this band of artists. Bardo Pond have been kicking it for well over a decade. Prior to their earliest releases on small independent labels, they self-released several cassettes and continue this tradition with a slew of more current CD-R releases and small-run pressings both as Bardo Pond and under offshoot-band canopies such as Prairie Dog Flesh and Third Troll. Their collaborative work with the great and enigmatic Roy Montgomery under the guise of Hash Jar Tempo is also not to be missed by anyone who enjoys guitars so sonically wrecked that they will transport you out of your body. What I'm saying here is, this ain't some band that's gonna put out three soundalike albums then disappear-- they've got their hearts and souls invested in this music, and it shows through their prolific yet high-quality output, tireless touring schedule, and the fine art the band creates themselves to adorn their album covers and so on.
Each record expands on the last as Pond continue to widen their palette. I have spent a lot of time with this record (get the double vinyl LP version if you can for the essential bonus track "Summerflux")and I can tell you, it will enmesh your brains. From the heavenly choir sounds of the opening track to the absolute smoking meltdown of "lb.", there is nothing disappointing about "Dilate." It is blissful.