Black Bordello’s second album, 'White Bardo' embodies a cathartic surrender for the band’s founder and songwriter, Sienna Bordello. Across nine tracks, the album delves deep into themes of mortality, metaphysics, and the mysteries of love, filtered through an exploration of mythology and quantum physics. It's an album that sees the band moving beyond surface-level concerns, with Sienna trading in societal frustrations for a more spiritual and expansive outlook.
The songs on 'White Bardo' are sharper and more direct than the group’s debut, capturing Sienna’s intense, macabre lyricism with a newfound clarity. From the snarky “Nunhead,” which juxtaposes leisure and loss in a South London cemetery, to the bold and carnivalesque “Love Is A Joke,” the album effortlessly blends dark, avant-garde post-punk with vaudevillian pop and modern blues.
“Nunhead” encapsulates the bizarre intersections of life and death, inspired by Sienna’s experience witnessing everyday life unfold in a cemetery during the pandemic. The juxtaposition of mothers drinking Prosecco and children playing among graves left a surreal mark, resulting in a song that is as poignant as it is lively.
Thematically, 'White Bardo' is a meditative album, taking listeners on a journey through Sienna’s personal realisations about the universe and our place in it. Tracks like “Acid Mary” and “Jupiter” harness the forces of nature and the cosmos, while the frenetic “1331” pulls listeners into a realm of symbolism and numerology. There's a sharp tension between the body and mind, especially on “The Garden of Earthly Delights,” where Sienna explores the scars of trauma and the complex dance between pleasure and pain.
Sienna’s vocal and lyrical prowess shines throughout the album, accompanied by the band's seamless blend of genres. The closing title track, 'White Bardo', is an experimental spoken word piece performed by guitarist Jerome Alexandre, adding a surreal final note to an album that constantly defies expectations.
In 'White Bardo', Black Bordello steps boldly into the unknown, presenting a rich, genre-bending soundscape where the mysteries of life and death converge. It's an exploration of surrender and acceptance, of finding joy and beauty in the most unexpected places.
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