Two pieces, bass and drums-vocalist long ago emigrated from Providence to Brooklyn to lead their Gotham counterpart Black Dice from behind a trap set. But where Black Dice are an s&m noise band like the Swans, Lightning Bolt are a f*ck-in-the-doorway noise band. They care about tune, and though they're all-instrumental they're about as "post"-rock as Slayer, Nine Inch Nails, or Sonny Sharrock. Brian Gibson's bass sounds like a guitar half the time, especially when he's stating themes, which tend to be droll, perhaps because they anticipate the cacophony to come, perhaps because you do. The rare brains-in-a-puddle-of-yuck-on-the-floor record actually capable of driving the expressway to your skull. (Grade - A-)
- © R. Christgau/Village Voice
