Bardo Pond
Bardo Pond are the flagship band of Philly's "Psychedelphia" space rock movement, which also includes the likes of Aspera, Asteroid No. 4, the Azusa Plane, and tangentially the Lilys. Explicitly drug-inspired -- their titles are filled with obscure references to psychedelics -- they favor lengthy, deliberate sound explorations filled with all the hallmarks of modern-day space rock: droning guitars, thick distortion, feedback, reverb, and washes of white noise. Hints of blues structure often crop up, but Bardo Pond's earliest roots lie with avant-garde noisemakers from the realm of free jazz and from New York's no wave movement and downtown Knitting Factory scene.
Over the years, the band has gradually incorporated more traditional influences, but maintained their affinity for the outer fringes of music. Thus, their brand of space rock echoes not just genre staples like Hawkwind and Pink Floyd, but jam-happy Krautrockers (Amon Düül, Popol Vuh, Ash Ra Tempel, Guru Guru) and experimental indie heroes (Sonic Youth, My Bloody Valentine, and especially Spacemen 3).