This track was just debuted over at the 'Fork, where they described the song as being "appropriately named." I couldn't agree more -- the song starts off like no other LB song I've heard; that is to say, it has a 'traditional' melody. Past Lightning Bolt tracks have all gone straight for the throat, with crazy compositions and, well, lightning fast snares and bass riffs. But on this track the band instead lets the tension build with a monster bass riff that is more along the lines of Death From Above 1979. The tension is surely how a prisoner feels watching an entire army march into the city square moments before they execute him with machine guns. You know the guns are inevitable, and when they come its all over.
I booked a Lightning Bolt show once and was given an entire amphitheater to use as the venue in return for some advertisement for a haunted house that was taking place on the premises (imagine the poor kids in a haunted house while LB is playing outside -- they're probably all still in therapy). Watching the band set up, you realize that they're basically competing between each other to be the loudest.
Brian Chipendale uses drum sticks that have no tip or shoulder -- so they are basically just a long cylinder with no head. A drummer friend of mine explained that this makes the sticks bounce much less so it takes more effort to drum, but has an overall louder sound. My friend also explained that as fast as Chipendale drums this basically makes him an olympic athlete.
Brian Gibson on the other hand has to compete with the massive racket, so he uses a wall of bass amps that is about 10 ft X 10 ft (edit: after looking at pictures its more like 6X3, but in my memory they sounded 10X10!). I was walking up the walkway of the amphitheater towards the box office when Gibson started sound check. The sound that his amps produced was so loud that I was nearly knocked over. I thought that the world had ended. It probably would have been better if it had, because I was not prepared for the assault that happened once the show started.
Needless to say; when you go to a Lightning Bolt concert -- you bring earplugs or you sit outside. Like, waay outside.
The Brian's haven't put out anything new since '05 -- and I'm really excited about the new album. No word on touring yet, but if you've got a space email them through their website and I'm sure they'll love to play for your town. They are that cool.
Garden of Earthly Delights comes out October 13.
welcome back rock
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