BARDO

Oöphoi is the brainchild of the late Gianluigi Gasparetti (1958-2013). Gianluigi used electronically treated sounds to imitate a distorted Mother Nature much in the same way that Stefano Musso does in his ALIO DIE releases. With Bardo he created one of my favorite contemplative/shamanic/meditative musical journey albums of all time.

1. "Samten Bardo - Contemplation" (16:14) a droning number of synth chords, rustling wind chimes, and intermittent and linear transpiring muted and muffled industrial sounds that soften and smooth out in the mid-section. Nothing very special or memorable here. (24/30)

2. "Chikai Bardo - Dissolution" (11:38)I love the slightly over-loud "rocket" effect employed within which are some of the clearest, most steadfast notes and chords while incidental spirits and sprites visit and, sometimes, try to engage with us. Starting in the third minute it feels as if we are on a space train to some unknown destination: to an internment camp, or the outer suburbs of København, into the mines of Lusus or who knows where! I love it! This is Brian Eno's 1980s Ambient work taken further: into the subliminal! I could see how this could be disturbing for some, but I find it exhilarating! (19/20)

3. "Chonyi Bardo - A Path Of The Lights" (28:54) deeply engaging and hypnotic. A great trip-inducing passage of electronica--as if escaping the gravitational pull of Self to fly freely among the Truth. Flawless! (60/60)

4. "Sipai Bardo - Crossing The Bridge Of Existence The Eternal Cycle" (17:34) deeply echoing gongs and Tibetan instrumental and vocal sounds drawn out over seventeen minutes. Not nearly as engaging, transportive, or transformative as the previous two--though the intensification of Tibetan overtone throat singing and volume rise in the eleventh minute does kind of lock one in for a few minutes--but then things begin to back off and let one go for the final three minutes. Too bad. I'd much rather be thrown into the fire and left to simmer and seep like the previous two songs. (30/35)

A-/five stars; a minor masterpiece of progressive rock music and a sure-fire masterpiece of 21st Century Progressive Electronica.