Bong — Thought and Existence

Bong are one of my home city’s finest exports. I have seen them perform through various incarnations and lineups, but the hub of any Bong lineup remains the three men on this, the power trio of Mike Vest (guitar), Dave Terry (bass and vocals) and Mike Smith (drums). The album, their sixth for Ritual was recorded at XL studios, and follows what has been a longer than usual break for the band. It is three years since their last album was released, although Vest has remained incredibly busy during that time with his many other projects which include the rather wonderful Blown Out and Haikai No Ku. Thought and Existence features two long tracks of psychedelic guitar drone, both running at just under twenty minutes each, although in Bong terms these can be seen as pretty short as they regularly release tracks that are double the length of these two.

The first track is Golden Fields, and after a low key atmospheric beginning Dave Terry launches into a spoken word section at about a minute and a half in, the quote is taken from Dostoevsky’s short story “The Dream of a Ridiculous Man”. Heavier and slightly more upbeat than much of their work, this opening track places itself firmly in middle of Bong’s usual spaced out jams and the monolithic heavy riffs of bands like Yob, or Moss. It isn’t until the middle point of the track that the familiar hypnotic groove so familiar to fans of Bong really settles in, and from there on in we are in familiar territory, but the focus on the heavier guitar sounds remains.

The second track Tlön, Uqbar, Orbis Tertius, is the slightly longer of the two at over nineteen minutes in length. One is instantly aware of a mellower more familiar Bong type groove from the off. Less of the heavier crunchy riffs and more wistful, reflective and spacey guitar lines. Hypnotic, cosmic, psychedelia that gets inside the head of even the most jaded music fan, this is what Bong do better than anyone else. Dave’s vocals are ritualistic chants that echo across space and time, alchemical musings of the band’s collective consciousness.

Both tracks move at a glacial pace, and whilst the opener sees the band move in a heavier direction, those classic Bong tropes remain evident throughout. Bong have turned transcendental ritualistic drone into an art form that goes way beyond its roots and more than any other band they have created their own vision. Another excellent release from a band that have rarely if ever put a foot wrong.