Dear listeners and readers of Soundville,

Today, I’ve prepared a journey beyond reality for you, eight tracks deep into ‘The Second Bardo,’ the album by Echo Delay. But before I unravel the mystery, I want to take a moment to talk about the mind behind this unique, art-house, and truly one-of-a-kind album. Echo Delay is the solo project of Italian musician Roberto Buch, currently based in Copenhagen. His debut album, ‘The Second Bardo,’ draws inspiration from ‘The Psychedelic Experience,’ a book by Timothy Leary based on ‘The Tibetan Book of the Dead.’ Leary treated the ancient text as a guide to psychedelic exploration, and Echo Delay does something similar, only through music. This is what gives his sound a mystical charm, reflecting altered states of consciousness and offering a unique perspective on complex, otherworldly themes. A 12-string guitar with fuzz effects, tape delay, and sitar create a hazy, ghostly atmosphere where the boundaries between sound and vision blur.

‘The Second Bardo’ is a place where consciousness drifts through illusions, dreams, and hallucinations, which is why each track feels like a reflection of a different facet of reality. I suggest you buckle up, because the tracks on this album have no clear melodies or familiar structures. Instead, there are waves of echo, shifting layers of sound that seem to pulse, dissolve, and reassemble into something new. Only the guitar, like a beacon or a guide, keeps pointing the way back to reality. This journey isn’t always comfortable, but that’s where its power and magic lie, and it’s something everyone should experience for themselves.

So sit back, close your eyes, and let Echo Delay’s music take you to a place where reality is fluid and thoughts don’t always feel like your own.

The opening track, ‘Retinal Circus,’ with its steady rhythm and expansive guitar sound, creates a deceptive sense of celebration. However, the music soon takes on the feeling of a vortex, a wormhole where every sound bends and distorts. The vocals are hazy, floating within the melody, allowing the subconscious to paint its own picture and decide what is real and what is not. This cinematic shift in tone unfolds further in the next track, ‘A Moment Of Joy.’ The guitars shimmer and intertwine, forming a dense soundscape, while the deep bass echoes through the mind. The guitar work is stunning and multifaceted, evoking a sense of altered consciousness and coloring the world with its own vivid hues.

I love how the vocals are wrapped in mist, giving each listener the space to find their own meaning and shape their own unique vision of the journey called ‘The Second Bardo.’ It feels like stepping into another world, where only Echo Delay’s voice serves as a guide through the unknown. It’s an incredible experience. I also appreciate how ‘Moon Queen’ builds tension through unique harmonies and dark, almost minor-toned guitars. But in the next track, ‘Pulsing Of Nowhere,’ the spatial sound design shifts the mood to something tranquil. This sense of solitude creates a feeling of rightness, of warmth and comfort. This experimental track adds another layer to the world Echo Delay constructs, expanding the story into vast, open spaces where one can lose themselves, wander, and merge with the flow of consciousness.

With each track, there’s a growing sense of descending into deeper levels of consciousness, sometimes beyond comprehension. ‘Lost Door’ takes this even further, sinking lower with its dark, heavy sound and slow, meditative vocals. Close your eyes, set the volume to a comfortable level, and you’ll find yourself tapping along to the steady drum rhythm by the middle of the track without even noticing. ‘Time’ picks up right where it leaves off, intensifying the atmosphere with its fast-paced energy. This adds density to the sound, while the track’s layering and textures are incredibly captivating. The soaring vocals take on an almost mystical, divine quality, and the profound lyrics reshape perceptions of the world and reality, pulling the listener into an entirely new dimension.

The final tracks, ‘Call The Doc’ and ‘The Gate,’ leave a lasting impression with their distinct atmospheres. The dialing tone in ‘Call The Doc,’ followed by an unanswered ring, carries a sense of mystery, as if the meaning lies hidden in the subconscious. Meanwhile, the lighter melody, delicate guitars, and subtle distortion encourage exploration of the enigma Echo Delay leaves behind. The closing track, ‘The Gate,’ brings the album to an awakening. The guitars and rhythm sound distant, like echoes of a dream suspended in time. It’s a perfect ending to the journey, offering a transition to a new state of mind, a fresh way to experience music, and a chance to reset. Undeniably, this is a deeply conceptual and cinematic release art-house in the world of music, something to be felt rather than fully understood. No doubt about it. You feel it too, don’t you?

Hey Echo Delay! Thank you for releasing such a complex and incredible album, ‘The Second Bardo.’ This is pure creativity, straight from the heart, mind, and soul. That’s exactly what makes this sound so valuable and unique. I can feel an insane amount of inspiration and energy here. The concept, the lyrics, everything comes together to create something truly special and fresh. I’m definitely sharing this release with everyone around me so they can experience the impact of this amazing sound. It’s the kind of music that wakes you up from the endless stream of perfectly polished but soulless tracks. Absolutely love it! I’m your fan, haha

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