SIGHTINGS - SIGHTINGS (LOAD 035)

ARGUABLY A TENTPOLE LOAD RECORDS ACT FOR THE COMING GENERATION. I SAW SIGHTINGS LIVE A FEW TIMES IN THEIR 15 YEAR+ RUN AND ONE THING THAT ALWAYS STRUCK ME IS THAT THEY NEVER SEEMED TO BE HAVING ANY FUN AND TREATED WHAT THEY DID INCREDIBLY SERIOUSLY, LIKE IT WAS A BURDEN THEY WERE SADDLED WITH AND YET TREATED THEIR OBLIGATION WITH REVERENCE.

THIS TO ME IS A BONUS.

EVENTUALLY I THINK THERE IS A GENUINE ARGUMENT TO SAY THAT SIGHTINGS ARE A BONA-FIDE "ORIGINAL" BAND IN THAT NO ONE REALLY SOUNDS LIKE THEM AND THEY SOUNDED LIKE NOTHING REALLY BEFORE. THAT THEY'RE OF NO REAL TRADITION AND THEIR WHOLE SOUND IS DEFINED BY TRYING TO EVADE OTHER SOUNDS. OF COURSE SO MUCH MUSIC IS OUT THERE YOU'LL ALWAYS GET LITTLE SNIPPETS. BUT ON THE WHOLE: SIGHTINGS ARE SUI GENERIS. YEAH. I SAID IT.

BOILING DOWN THEIR SOUND: MARK PLAYS GUITAR WITHOUT REALLY TOUCHING RIFFS, REGULAR MELODIES, OR CHORD PROGRESSIONS. THINK ABOUT THAT. IT JUST SEEMS TO BE THIS UNCONTROLLED ENUNCIATION OF SOUND THAT RECALLS A BLOWTORCH OR SOMEONE BENDING METAL. JON DRUMS WITH AN ACOUSTIC-HYBRID KIT BUT THERE'S MORE TO IT. IT FEELS STRIPPED OF ITS RESONANCES. IT IS LIKE A FORCED MATE OF DECREPIT FORMS OF PERCUSSION. THE BEATS ARE OCCASIONALLY STARK AND ROBOTIC OR SOMETIMES THEY'RE RHYTHMS SEARCHING FOR THEIR OWN LOGIC. RICHARD PLAYS BASS IN A WAY THAT TAKES THE MELODY BUT ALSO REFUSES TO PUT DOWN GENRE MARKERS. SOMETIMES IT LOCKS WITH THE DRUMS. SOMETIMES IT STROLLS OFF ELSEWHERE. THE VOCALS SOUND LIKE A NICK ZEDD SEANCE GONE WRONG.

HERE THE ELEMENTS ARE THROWN TOGETHER IN A SLIGHTLY MORE ONE-DIMENSIONAL FASHION. IT IS CONSTANTLY SCABROUS AND ACIDIC AND DOES FATIGUE THE EARS. THEIR LATER STUFF IS MORE VARIED AND MAKES YOU WANT TO GO TO BAT FOR IT ON FORUMS AND PLACES WHERE NERDS TALK ABOUT STUFF. THIS IS PRETTY MUCH A FORMATIVE PIECE. GOOD IN PARTS AND INSUFFERABLE IN OTHERS.