Bulbs - Light Ships [Freedom To Spend - 2008]Light Ships is the first release by this new percussion heavy electro/ guitar and noise duo featuring William Sabiston (ex Axolotl) on Drums, Electronics and Jon Alcatraz on guitar- it’s also the first release on the newly formed label of Peter Swanson( Yellow Swans,ect) freedom to spend. The Bulbs sound is very tricky to try and tie down into any one genre classification- there are manic and often run away electroinca rhythmic elements, yet there are also sawing and noisy guitar elements which flit between been sourly harmonic & more noise bound traditional rock or blues form. There are harmonic and lo-fi electric textures that again often go noisy or manic, as well as; traces of jagged bastardised world music, harmonic rock, loud drone textures, stuck electronics, coarse and off kilter jazz rhythms , doomed muffled synth mulch, sawing avant classical elements & cheesy almost pop electro pockets. The sound here is always very dense jagged, shifting and almost always trying to pull it's self apart it judders, jerks and statters along it ways. Its certainly original ,I guess you can hear traces of Black Dice at their more manic/ dense or of course Sabiston last project Axolotl, but really these two have created their own mashed, juddered and often manic take on music. As you’d might expect with a sound that’s always jagged, shifting and dense taking from all over the musically map the result are mixed sometimes they pull the chaos off splendidly at other thimes it sounds too manic, too all hands to deck for it’s own good. This is certainly an interesting start for both The Bulbs and freedom to spend label that offers up some very distinct, often crowded and manic sonic fair that is to be fair a little hit and miss, but certainly worthy of your time if your after something a little changeling and new. I look forward to hearing more from both parties in the future Roger Batty
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