By: Mike Madavi
Artist: Lightning Bolt
Title: Earthly Delights
Label: Load Records
Genre: Hard Rock : Avantgarde/Experimental
UPC: 604197112623
Territory: World ex- Japan
Release Date: 10.13.09
When you throw on a Lightning Bolt record, you know what you’re getting yourself into. The Providence, Rhode Island natives have made a name for themselves as one of the hardest hitting, loudest, noisiest experimental bands around. The duo of Brian Chippendale on drums and heavily effected vocals and Brian Gibson on an even more heavily effected bass guitar have managed to push the restricting musical walls of a two man group far, far out of their way while creating some genuinely powerful music that others fail to top with more than triple their man-power.
Lightning Bolt’s music seriously defies categorization or limitation as the guitar-drum two man group has taken a perceivable turn towards the reproduction of the Detroit sound pioneered by artists such as The White Stripes and The Black Keys; that is to say, John Bonham-esque heavy rhythm with blues-based, super distorted guitar lines for melody. Bolt, on the other hand, fits more closely into the noise genre but brings the best parts of garage rock, punk, and even doom metal with them for the ride. Chippendale’s drumming is rapid fire and non-stop; the man works for your money. Gibson has taken a totally unique approach to the guitar half of the recipe: warping a 5 string bass cello standard tuning, in intervals of fifths (C G D A +E) with banjo strings for the A and E so he can dish out those super distorted low-end rhythms and still keep your neck hairs raised with treble end attack. The vocals are almost never comprehensible as they’re marinated in so much reverb and echo that you’re left to simply notice their texture and tone within the fray of a song. Mix this with years of high-energy live shows (including impromptu Guerrilla gigs) that leave you as exhausted as you are content, and you’ve got yourself the makings of a killer band.
The gentlemen of Lightning Bolt’s latest release, Earthly Delights, presents the finest yet of their unique musical workings. They’ve fine-tuned a bit, making their songs more precise and concise with half the album featuring tracks under the five-minute mark, but still maintaining that unrestrained feeling that noise rock boasts. From the very first track your sonically assaulted with aggressive drumming and deep-decibels pounding from Gibson’s bass amp; these guys kick ass. There’s always a certain risk when listening to noise music because noise has a tendency to get frightening at its most aggressive, abrasive and challenging moments; songs like “Flooded Chamber” get so chaotic in their loops and synchronization that you have to pick a certain repeating phrase and hold onto it for dear life. “Colossus” is a psychedelic buzz saw-driven soundtrack for a high speed chase. Funny Farm makes use of those two banjo strings as they juxtapose the preferred thunderous bashing with an almost country-bluegrass twanging verse-ish part (there’s no clear structure as most good noise music boasts). “Rain On Lake I’m Swimming In” shows a softer side, verging on (dare I say it) pretty music; it at least displays the band is very capable of creating some sort of beautiful echoing instrumentals ala Explosions in the Sky should they choose. “S.O.S.” brings the pain immediately back and pounds out any aggression left in you before sending you off with the epic 12 minute closer “Transmissionary” (a proper send off). All in all, this is a fantastic continuation of the band’s sound and a fine example of the beauty in limitation.
Lightning Bolt is one of the hardest hitting and original bands out there today. Don’t be afraid: pick up Earthly Delights and ride the Lightning on October 13th.
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