Temporary Journey? Pander Sera – “Gazebo”

Pander Sera

“Gazebo”

Bothy

The beautiful deepness of Pander Sera’s voice is what draws you into the beauty of her music.  Here she deals with the temporary aspects of life, using as metaphors Gazebo, Bothys (shelters in the forest), Reset, and other words and ideas.  As a whole, Pander Sera’s work is an amazing mix of drums, oscillators, melodies, and almost abrasive textures.  According to her bio:

The word “bothy” refers to a temporary shelter found in the wilderness, and in her view it serves the material as an apt metaphor: What makes a home?  Can a body be home? Can a perspective? These questions are punctuated throughout the album by audio samples of her real-life childhood home, from old family videos to recordings of neighborhood wildlife. With Bothy, Pander Sera’s goal was to face some of the worst demons conjured from her past and overcome them through a kaleidoscopic personal metamorphosis.

The fact that Sera allows us to share with her intimate questions and ponderings is wonderful.  This is an album that will make you think and enjoy thinking.  As I said, Sera’s voice is an extremely flexible instrument in itself.  And with lyrics like these, the odyssey is worth the trouble.

SO BUILT SO STRUCTURAL
THROUGH FORM GET COMFORTABLE
SIX WALLS WITHOUT A DOOR
BETTER WORK WITH WHAT WE HAVE
BETTER SPREAD APART THE CONTENTS ACROSS THE FLOOR
EMPTY OUT THE PIECES BOY YOU’LL FIND THE CORNERS GONE
TRAPPED IN AWARENESS OF A FRAME NEVER COMPLETED
DREAMWORLD SO PERSUASIVE
MUST ADMIT SHE’S FARTHER GONE
WEATHERED BY THE NEW MUNDANE NEVER DEFEATED
TIME MELTS SO FLEXIBLE
PUSH & PULL A ROOKIE VEHICLE
EXPOSED CONTINUUM
GOT TO DANCE DELIRIUM
GOT TO SPAR WITH EVERY SHADOW UNTIL THEY
COME EMPTY OUT THE PIECES
BOY YOU’LL FIND THE CORNERS GONE
TRAPPED IN AWARENESS OF A FRAME NEVER COMPLETED
DREAMWORLD SO PERSUASIVE
MUST ADMIT SHE’S FARTHER GONE
WEATHERED BY THE NEW MUNDANE NEVER DEFEATED
THERE IS SAFETY BEYOND US
SWELL ERUPTION FROM BOUNDARY
NEVER LEARNED HOW TO SAY NO TO THOSE
WHO NEVER CARRIED NO BODY
SET FIRE MAKE A NEW GAZEBO
SET FIRE MAKE IT HAND PAINTED CARVED FROM WOOD
STILL MIRED IN A MELTED PLACEBO
STEP FORWARD EVEN IF YOU DON’T THINK YOU SHOULD