Lightning Bolt - "Earthly Delights"
As a long time fan of Lightning Bolt, I found it difficult to form a starting point for this review that didn't sound like every other Lightning Bolt review out there. Partly due to the fact that this band creates a genre-less, almost ineffable brand of intricate mayhem that will beat you down and rob you of your hearing. The latter at least for a day if you have been fortunate enough to see them live. As far as pure sonic experience is concerned, little can rival the explosive energy of Lightning Bolt barring contemporaries like the Boredoms, or perhaps maybe a scud missile landing in your living room. If you haven't heard Lightning Bolt before, it is a bit difficult to pin their sound down with mere words. Terms like "controlled demolition" come to mind. Or better yet, place your head on it's side atop a workbench and have a friend smack you on your temple with a ball-peen hammer in a rhythmic pattern for a minimum of 3 minutes. Don't get me wrong here, this is not just noise. Far from it. They possess a unique sound laced with addictive melodies that grab you, shake you violently, and leave you ultimately exhausted. This is a very good thing.
For the uninitiated, Lightning Bolt is a duo from Providence, Rhode Island composed of Brian Chippendale on drums and Brian Gibson on bass. Somewhere in between the two members, wired in series, are approximately 30 distortion pedals. Ok, I made that up. The band chooses during live shows to set up on the venue floor in place of the stage. This way the crowd can encircle the band if they dare, in a way reminiscent of a voodoo ritual dance. In addition, they are known to start playing literally immediately after the previous band finishes, leaving unsuspecting audience members in a state of shock with the possibility of blown eardrums. Drummer Brian Chippendale always sports a homemade gimp/wrestling mask, apparently hand sewn from scrappy fabrics, along with a small receiver embedded in a pouch near his mouth so he can "sing". The resulting telephonic discharge combined with Chippendales's "Double Dutch-esque" vocal chanting are among Lightning Bolt's numerous trademarks. Together, Gibson and Chippendale forge a relentless sonic assault reminiscent of a steam locomotive circling your cranium at 150 mph.
The caveat here is that Lightning Bolt, at least to me, is a band you need to see live in order to truly appreciate. It is doubtful that a studio recording can ever accurately capture the sheer energy these guys emanate when playing. While this does not mean their recordings are not enjoyable, it does mean that sometimes like a great foreign novel, the story can be somewhat lost in translation. I will repeat myself, this is not to say that the recorded material is worthless. Not in the least. In addition, it is deservingly owed the right to blow up your cheap computer speakers. My point here is the live show is that much more insane, if you can only imagine.
Earthly Delights is the band's 6th full-length studio album and follow-up to 2005's Hypermagic Mountain. In comparison to past material, Earthly Delights takes over where Wonderful Rainbow left off in terms of musical accessibility. However, let it be stated there are no apparent compromises here.
The album opens up poignantly with "Sound Guardians", a nearly five minute barrage of Chippendale/Gibson fury. When the track begins, there is a hint that stylistically, something 'may' be different in this release. Rest assure as the war dance progresses, it descends - or should I say ascends, into full chaotic glory.
"Colossus", the album's epic third track is seemingly the band's most docile, valium-laden composition on this album, sometimes bordering on stoner rock.
For me, "Funny Farm" is the high point of Earthly Delights. It is a typical example of how Lightning Bolt's music trades the idea of "build-up" in favor of sudden explosion. This track continues it's hypnotic assault for about 30 seconds at which point it "Doci-do's" into a memorable bass line evoking crackbrained imagery of a square dance from hell. This is pure fun.
Other noteworthy moments include the reckless and aptly titled "S.O.S", an exhilarating, machine gunning drill that will leave you feeling like you just ran a marathon drunk.
As expected, Lightning Bolt does not let down and continues to put out great and relevant records. I give Earthly Delights an 8 and place it easily among the top releases of 2009.
