Friday, April 18, 2008

Bulbs - Light Ships

Bulbs
Light Ships
(04.2008, Freedom To Spend)
Verdict = Alien Robot Noise Transmissions

Bulbs’ press release has identified them as a San Francisco duo made up of ex-Axolotl noise monger, William Sabiston, along with Jon Almaraz, but I would be more likely to believe that the real duo behind the cacophony is pair robotic extraterrestrials given the unearthly clamor they produce. Light Ships is the first release on the newly formed Freedom To Spend label run by Pete Swanson of the Yellow Swans and it appears that anything with strings attached to Yellow Swans these days is gold. Light Ships is no different. The album starts off awkwardly rambling through a series of high end squalor bedded in a string of muffled electronic beats on “Gold Ropes”. It is clear right from the get go that there is something otherworldly going on here and while I can’t say that the album gets any less awkward or bizarre the evolution of that first track slowly starts piecing itself together before climaxing with a searing electronic squeal and then dissipating into a sort of audio rubble. The track is followed unassumingly by another off kilter beat textured by strange electronic feedback. Track after track Bulbs continue to throw curve balls into the machinery like space invaders and before you know it Light Ships has brainwashed you harder than any Scientologist ever could. You may not be jumping on Oprah’s couch anytime soon, but I assure you that the end result here is just as euphoric. There is really no understanding how great this album is without fully indulging in its many parts from beginning to end. A sample audit just won’t suffice. Bulbs want your whole soul and their willing to abduct you to get. So here I sit afterwards undoubtedly confused and yet somehow utterly satisfied.

-Mr. Thistle

Bulbs - "Light Ships"

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Yeah, this is an alternative religion :)

Anonymous said...

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