*** Bardo Pond
LAPSED
(Matador)
Welcome to the psychedelic
underground, where self-indulgence, volume, and torrents of guitar noise wash
your eardrums in an expanse of textural bliss. Philadelphia's Bardo Pond
deliver an exorcism of sorts via billowing, effects-laden sonic canvases from
guitarist brothers Michael and John Gibbons. Bolstered by a strong rhythm
section, Lapsed reins in the group's earlier elongated meanderings
without sacrificing passion or grandeur. There's majesty in the soaring opener,
"Tommy Gun Angel," which is kind of a heavenly interpretation of the Clash's
"Tommy Gun." Acoustic and electric guitars tangle against vocalist Isobel
Sollenberger's languid, distorted voice on "Pick My Brain." Bardo's past work
earned them kudos as lysergic alchemists -- their last album, Amanita,
took its name from a genus of trip- (also cardiac-arrest-) inducing mushrooms.
Lapsed reaffirms their commitment to psychedelic explorations,
particularly in epic excursions like the nine-minute sludgefest "Flux," and the
14-minute seduction of "Aldrin."
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