Philadelphia’s psychedelic travellers Bardo Pond return with their self-titled eighth album. However, don’t let the fairly uninventive title fool you, this latest effort is just as inspired and bonged-out as ever. ‘Just Once’ enters in an unassuming, almost halfheartedly sung fashion – some might chuck this under the ‘slacker’ banner – but soon erupts into reams of trademark, searing noise. The album consists of seven pieces ranging from four minutes to twenty-one, spanning all manner of sounds and textures, from ethereal electronics and blissful acoustic twangs to burning, bass-heavy clouds of distortion. In no way throwaway, this is a trip.
8/10
Words by Ryan Drever
