Top Bar
Musique Machine Logo Home ButtonReviews ButtonArticles ButtonBand Specials ButtonAbout Us Button
SearchGo Down
Search for  
With search mode in section(s)
And sort the results by
show articles written by  
 Review archive:  # a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z

Bardo Pond - Yntra [Latitudes - 2012]

As with the other entries in the Latitudes series, Yntra showcases a band operating within the outer limits of heavy guitar music that has descended upon the Southern Records studio to perform and produce a limited edition record. Meant to be a snapshot of whatever the band is doing at the time, these records also tend to showcase great playing from artists who are renowned for their live capabilities.

In this case, the band is Philadelphia’s longstanding Bardo Pond, and the quality of the playing cannot be understated. Centered around the twin guitar attack of Michael and John Gibbons since the band’s inception 20 years ago, their music is nuanced and intricate, with both brothers doing completely different things at the same time and yet demonstrating a keen understanding of how to share the spotlight.

Bardo Pond have always been known for their combination of hazy guitar noise and spaced-out post-rock, and fans of the band already know what to expect. For newcomers, they’ve doled out three wildly different pieces which makes for a refreshing but inconsistent listen that might leave listeners scratching their heads.

The best piece here is the “The Cawl,” which builds out of a staccato groove to find an irrepressible no-wave/post-punk energy not typical of most space rock. And while the piece is simply saturated with squiggly guitar noise, it functions merely as background texture, taking nothing away from the stellar rhythm section or the soaring wordless female vocal, courtesy of Isobel Sollenberger, that helps the song take flight. The end result is clearly what the Banshees really wanted their plodding rendition of “The Lord’s Prayer” to sound like all those years ago.

The other two pieces sound like different bands. “Side to Side” is built around a doomy, fuzzy guitar riff and a downcast vocal clearly derived from ‘70s metal. It has about two minutes worth of ideas sustained for four times that length. “A Crossing,” meanwhile, is a 20-minute noise jam (with Isobel on flute!) that really focuses on guitar effects and soloing but hardly takes any notable form at all. That being said, it’s also the only piece on the record that loses track of time while it dives into messy psychedelic bliss with joyful abandon.

Rating: 3 out of 5Rating: 3 out of 5Rating: 3 out of 5Rating: 3 out of 5Rating: 3 out of 5

Richard T Williams
Latest Reviews

Bardo Pond - Yntra
As with the other entries in the Latitudes series, Yntra showcases a band operating within the outer limits of heavy guitar music that has descended upon the...
011223   High Tide - The Complete Libe...
011223   Gorguts - From Wisdom to Hate
011223   Various Artists - Destination...
301123   Journey to the Centre of the ...
301123   Footprints - Footprints(Blu Ray)
301123   Takashi Watanabe - One
291123   Black Leather Jesus - Rider
281123   Seamus Cater - A History of ...
281123   Jürg Frey - String Trio
281123   Meitei - Kofū III
Latest Articles

IO - Of Sound, Of Art, Of Expression
IO is a Brazilian visual artist, scenographer, fashion designer, performer and electronic music producer from Porto Alegre. Sonically her works move between ...
181023   IO - Of Sound, Of Art, Of Exp...
210923   Lucky Cerruti - Of Not so Fri...
290823   The Residents - The Trouble W...
110723   Yotzeret Sheydim Interview - ...
250523   TenHornedBeast - Into The Dee...
050523   Bill Morroni - The Trials & ...
280323   Magnus Granberg - Finding Emo...
230223   Trou Aux Rats - The Funeral I...
020223   The Residents & Support - Liv...
300123   Worship - In Praise Of Walled...
Go Up
(c) Musique Machine 2001 -2023. Twenty two years of true independence!! Mail Us at questions=at=musiquemachine=dot=comBottom