Sightings - Arrived in Gold - LP (2004)

Labels: Load
Review by: Chris Bress

Although the last full-length by this guitar fuzz trio was totally full-on, their live show, at Bunkers Hill, was total yawnsville. The latest LP, “œArrived in Gold”, is different but not too much of a departure. The one notable difference is how it feels like they are holding back, letting the guitar distortion do the talking rather than pounding noise-rock drums and punk rock yelps. This has to be their most full on noise record yet, harking back to the days of Whitehouse’s “œTotal sex” as much as anything on the DNA discography. The parallels involved within the sound of this new one differ from the previous too, as the more laid back tracks have more hooks and catchy rhythms, albeit total retro new/now wave, that give the listener something to hold onto, whether they want to or not. This is probably their best record, but it left me wondering if I really needed more than one Sightings full-length.