| On the Ellipse | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | July 8, 2003 | |||
| Recorded | October 2002 – January 2003 | |||
| Studio | The Lemur House, Philadelphia, PA | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 53:07 | |||
| Label | ATP Recordings | |||
| Producer | Bardo Pond, Michael Gibbons | |||
| Bardo Pond chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [1] |
| Pitchfork Media | 7.2/10 [2] |
| Record Collector | [3] |
| Uncut | [4] |
On the Ellipse is the sixth album by Bardo Pond and first for ATP Recordings. It was released on July 8, 2003. [5] [6] [7]
Heather Phares of Allmusic called the album "[a]nother triumph" for the band, on which "they continue to top themselves even if they're no longer among the most fashionable vanguard of underground rock." She went on to describe it as a more accessible and "much moodier" work, and hailed the track "JD" as "an instant career highlight. Beginning with a relentless drone that switches between harsh and beautiful as it unfurls, the song lures the listener with five minutes of gentle acoustic guitars and Sollenberger's dreamy, brooding singing before unleashing a quintessentially Bardo Pond onslaught of distortion and drums." [1] Both Brainwashed and Comes with a Smile called it the band's best effort, with the latter's reviewer Ian Fletcher writing: "Nowhere is feedback more melancholic, more emotive, than that fashioned by Bardo Pond. And their misty depths have never been more tempting than here and now." [8] [9]
A more mixed reception came from Pitchfork, which published a joke review written by staff member Andrew Bryant in lieu of a proper one. [5] Uncut gave the album 3-stars out of 5, writing that while the band did improve with age, they were "[s]triving a little hard for cosmic resonance, perhaps". [4]
In a retrospective review published in 2020, JR Moores of Record Collector gave the album a perfect score, calling the comparatively "lusher and mellower" album "breathtakingly beautiful" and even "life-changing". [3]
Bardo Pond are an American psychedelic rock band formed in 1991, and who are currently signed to London-based label Fire Records. The current members are Michael Gibbons (guitar), John Gibbons (guitar), Isobel Sollenberger, Clint Takeda and Jason Kourkounis (drums). Bardo Pond's music is often classified as space rock, acid rock, post-rock, shoegazing, noise or psychedelic rock. Some Bardo Pond album titles have been derived from the names of esoteric psychedelic substances. Their sound has been likened to Pink Floyd, Spacemen 3 and My Bloody Valentine amongst others.
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Hash Jar Tempo is a collaborative musical project between the members of Philadelphia-based psychedelic band Bardo Pond and experimental guitarist and composer Roy Montgomery. The band was founded in March 1995 and have released two albums, Well Oiled and Under Glass, and have never toured.
Bardo Pond is the 8th studio album by Bardo Pond, released in 2010.
Wampire is an American indie rock band from Portland, Oregon, started by duo Rocky Tinder and Eric Phipps. The band has released 2 full-length albums on Polyvinyl Records; their debut album Curiosity and the follow-up "Bazaar".
Love Letters is the fourth studio album by English electronic music band Metronomy, released on 10 March 2014 by Because Music. It peaked at number seven on the UK Albums Chart, becoming the band's highest-charting album to date.
All Nerve is the fifth full-length studio album by American alternative rock band the Breeders, released on March 2, 2018, 10 years after their previous album Mountain Battles (2008). A Stereogum article in June 2016 reported that the band was recording new material at their Ohio studio and in October 2017 they released the first single from the album titled "Wait in the Car". 4AD announced on January 9, 2018, that the new album would be made available on March 2, 2018, and released the album's second single, All Nerve on the same day. The album also marks the band's first in 25 years with their Last Splash lineup. Courtney Barnett guests on one song on the album; "Howl at the Summit".
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