by Michael
7
Released 13/10/2009
This latest work from the Rhode Island pair of Brians is a Lightning Bolt record through and through - noisy, riffy, and maintaining the impression that they would be even better live (which they are - see them, or failing that, YouTube).
Promising opener 'Sound Guardian' displays their unwavering allegiance to the minor third and the distorted telephone receiver, as Brian Gibson's idiosyncratic bass sound (crunchy, phased, and very DigiTech) provides a stalwart and cycical backdrop to Chipperdale's frankly insane drumming (yes, not the other way around). The overall effect is nigh on transcendental, with a jam-like feel and a very easily recognisable sound that impossibly straddles the virtuosic and anti-virtuosic. 'Colossus' certainly lives up to its name, the uncharacteristically slow tempo transforming that Lightning Bolt sound into a menacing stomper of a track. A similar impression is also created with the epic closing track 'Transmissionary'.
There is a slight sense of Lightning Bolt-by-numbers in some of the tracks – the adrenaline fuelled 'The Sublime Freak', for example, presents as an uncomfortably accurate replica of 'Dracula Mountain', perhaps the band's most well-known offering, having been covered live by Muse. Having said this, there are morsels of a new approaches scattered throughout the album, for instance the spacious and almost ambient vocal texture that opens 'Flooded Chamber', the short serene stasis of 'Rain on Lake I'm Swimming In'.
Generally speaking, Lightning Bolt leave a little to be desired, particularly in variation. It is difficult to become obsessed with them, but if you do it would be far from a balanced musical diet. Likely, resulting in riff-based scurvy. Earthly Delights is, however, a vastly driving/energetic opus, where a cracked veneer of 'business as usual' is shone through by a few rays of sonic variation.
Those interested in Chipperdale's fantastic drum work may wish to check out his appearance on Björk's 'Náttúra', which also features heavily processed Thom Yorke vocal samples, and one of the best bass drum sounds of all time.
If in search for drummers that share Brian Chipperdale's speedy/spastic style, I recommend looking into the work of Zach Hill (of Hella fame, and recently working with Wavves) and Deerhoof's Greg Saunier, whose Tourette's shows in his rhythms. These two along with Chipperdale make up some kind of holy trinity resembling the best drummers in the world. Like the G3... but with less chronic masturbation, and not totally shit.
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