A side project of Pond's reclusive Charlie Cambell, Goldcard was never really intended to see the light of day. Recorded over years in the mid-90s by the Portland, Oregon artist, the original Goldcard songs follow the orchestral psych-pop tradition begun by Brian Wilson, while drawing on everything from Skip Spence to the melancholy of Sparklehorse. In 2002, friends from Grandaddy, Quasi and Pond helped Cambell complete the songs and urged him to release them. Cambell abided, but never one to follow any social norm, Cambell attended his record's listening parties in a box -- so no one could see or touch him -- interacting only through a slot. ~ Charles Spano