I just wanted an excuse to talk about this one lol. Lightning bolt doesn’t get talked about very often and is severely underrated in my opinion. Getaway, my fathers son, lightning bolt, sirens, and let the records play are all very good. Getaway is currently my favorite Pearl Jam song haha
https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PL6q6-MgmhbJxl6OPuh0wi0Q3eLzSI4m3R
There you have, straight up my honest opinion
The vicious noise punks of Rhode Island are well known for their pummeling music and even more vicious live shows, all created with just a bass guitar and a drumset. Brian Chippendale and Brian Gibson (yes they're both named Brian) are responsible for creating some of my most loved noise rock ever (barring Daughters and Melt-Banana), and I will rank them all right now.
(BTW, it doesn't let me flair this as a discography rating for some reason, can a mod flair it for me? Thank you in advance)
1: RIDE THE SKIES (2001) = 7/10
This album really, REALLY fucks with your head. It's like the most abrasive acid trip in your entire life. From the stop-start rhythms of Forcefield and St. Jacques, to the weird...alien children? in tracks like Wee Ones Parade, it's a great artistic statement from Lightning Bolt, showcasing their aesthetic right from the get go that they are one pretty damn unique band. Immediately I get pulled in by the crazy drum theatrics Brian plays throughout the album, like the later parts in Forcefield where it's just scrumpitous drum fills everywhere. Brian's basslines perfectly play off the drums too, showcasing the duo's unbreakable chemistry together. 13 Monsters is a perfect example, and my favorite off of the album. After Chippendale screams "13 MONSTERS, 13 MONSTEEEEERRSSSSS!!!!!" you immediately get sucker-punched by that infectious bassline while the drums pound along with it to add an extra dosage of heaviness. Great debut and a massive sign of potential for their future work.
FAVORITE: 13 MONSTERS
2: WONDERFUL RAINBOW (2003) = 9/10
Holy fuck. You thought Ride The Skies was crazy? This one kicks Ride The Skies in the nuts and makes it beg for mercy. Everything else is more intense, more LOUD, more everything. Chippendale isn't even doing fills anymore, he's beating the living soul out of his drumset as if he's performing a wicked exorcism on it. Gibson's basslines have gotten catchier, and heavier, yet maintaining a slight prettiness to it. The opener "Hello Morning" is a prime example of how Lightning Bolt are not just a one-trick pony, they also have the capability to create really beautiful music if they feel like it. After frolicking in the flowers and looking at all the pretty butterflies though, "Assassins" comes in like a fucking NFL Linebacker that took too many steroids and immediately bashes your skull into itty bitty pieces. The intensity only builds up from that point on, with the longer and more ener
... keep reading on reddit ➡Hello! Welcome back to our Album Wall. I mean Album of the Year series. Today we have thee u/BringMeCoffeeOrTea_ on Lightning Bolt's electrifying, wonderful, rainbowy Sonic Citadel.
Artist: Lightning Bolt
Album: Sonic Citadel
Listen:
Review by u/BringMeCoffeeOrTea_
For over a quarter of a century Brian Chippendale and Brian Gibson have been delivering noise rock euphoria to listeners. Always relying on their wild riffs, bombastic thrills, and pure unfiltered energy, Lightning Bolt seemed to always leave 120% of their creative force on everything they release. Despite the emphasis their music places on virtuosity and loudness, the band’s awe-inspiring feats have always sprung out from their ability to incorporate melodies and infectious rhythms into their packed mixes.
As an example, the band’s breakthrough LP, Wonderful Rainbow, might sound like some amateurs shredding in a garage, but give the music enough time, and the beautiful pop sensibilities will start to show their face amongst the waves of unrelenting noise. Even so, it might take a magnifying glass to see these “pop sensibilities” in their older material, but with Sonic Citadel the band breaks the magnifying glass, peels back the layers, and truly reveal the “naked pop forms beneath the noise like never before.”
“Blow to the Head” rockets the listener out of the gates into the brightly colored and intense world that they will inhabit for the next 50+ minutes. The trademark loudness and fuzz is still there, but the difference in approach is strikingly immediate. The godzilla-sized bass and technical drumming burns as much as any Lightning Bolt track does, but the structure is now more bare and open. Thus, allowing for a more tangible, rhythmically tactile experience for the listener. These tracks just hammer themselves into the skull, never leaving you a moment to escape the catchiness.
But the most notable change is the approach to lyrics and vocals on the album. On Sonic Citadel not only is the noise cleaned up, and the structures more defined, but the vocals
... keep reading on reddit ➡
Lightning Bolt - Sonic Citadel
Release Date: October 11th
Label: Thrill Jockey
Genre: Noise Rock, Math Rock
Singles: Air Conditioning, Hüsker Dön't
Streams: Spotify, Apple Music, Google Play
Schedule
| Date | Album |
|---|---|
| Mon. | Elbow - Giants of All Sizes / Kim Gordon - No Home Record / Cursive - Get Fixed / Lightning Bolt - Sonic Citadel |
| Tues. | Richard Dawson - 2020 / Big Thief - Two Hands / Chris Farren - Born Hot |
this is an unofficial discussion for reactions to the album or whatever your little heart desires. this is for the sake of preserving discussion on as many albums as possible. if there's any releases for the week (or in general) that may be of interest missing from the schedule either PM me or leave a comment somewhere and i'll add it.
Edit: I’m not proud of how long I spent on this today, BUT I FINALLY DID IT.
2121 bolts dodged total 225 consecutive bolts dodged
Blah. That was rough.
)
