Lightning Bolt – Oblivion Hunter

September 25, 2012 • Load Records

I've considered myself a mild Lightning Bolt fan for some years now, and for a while they were one of the bands who I'd always keep up-to-date on when they put new stuff out. Lately I've been much less interested in them, and I didn't even check out their 2009 album, since I noticed they haven't grown or changed any in the last ten years. It's good news if you want more of the same old Lightning Bolt, but I'm kind of on the fence with Oblivion Hunter. To be fair, this album is (apparently) older takes from the Earthly Delights sessions, but it still feels like a true album.

I hardly need describe the album's sound, but I'll do it anyway: frantic and fast-paced drumming akin to your typical Boredoms jamfest, shouted, distorted, and incomprehensible vocals, and a monster of a dirty and heavily-distorted bass guitar. There's also lots and lots of almost-static-like noise and feedback going on during some tracks, like the incredibly dense and heavy "Baron Wasteland" and "World Wobbly Wide", but there's also plenty of the good old playful melodies of their older days which make up the middle of the album. They're still as catchy as ever, too (at least, when they want to be).

I will say that the bass work on this album has improved considerably from their early material, making much greater use of special effects such as whammy and delay. I think there's a bit of overdubbing too (or else he's gotten really good at sounding like two people playing at once), which is either new or something that's more prominent than it used to be. I also really enjoy the special little touches like the pseudo-Eastern melody on "The Soft Spoken Spectre"; it's a neat break from the usual cacophony.

I suppose I do mostly enjoy Oblivion Hunter—the band is still good at writing interesting songs, especially given their limited instrumentation and style—but, again, it's more of the same; I could very well be listening to any of their older stuff and wouldn't know the difference. So it's a bit disappointing in that regard. Still, for the fans, it's worth at least a couple spins.

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