City Of Straw by Sightings (ALBUM REVIEW)

Released in 2010 on Jagjaguar and Brah Records.

Sightings is an experimental noise rock band from Brooklyn. They have been around since 1997. This is their 7th album.

City Of Straw is noisy. Really noisy. Loads of hiss and distortion and guitar squall. Sounds moan and churn and screech and klang and buzz and ... well, you get the picture. There are hints of fractured melodies buried in the mess, fractured drum beats and some really messed up bass lines attempt to keep the whole thing together, but these attempts are usually subdued by the sheer amount of abrasive noises being tossed around.

Along with the distorted menace, there's Mark Morgans vocals, which are usually slurred and severely buried in the mix. You can never quite decipher what he is going on about.

It's been said that this is Sightings most coherent, forward and bestest record and I couldn't disagree more. All the noise and ideas on here were used on their previous album, Through The Panama; and I thought those results were much better. At least on that album, you could sort of grasp what was going on. It was cohesive.

Not that this was a bad album. The sparser, more subdued moments were interesting. The sheer amount of noise and chaos was impressive. I'd never go and say that this album was enjoyable, but it was intriguing and different.

If you like jarring, abrasive noise and bands that really don't conform to any set of musical rules, you might dig this. If you like bands that write melodies and actual songs, you will hate this.


3 / 5

Category:

Music

Tags:

• Sightings
• We
• All
• Amplify
• City
• Of
• Straw
• Jagjaguar
• Brah
• records
• Tar
• and
• Pine
• Jabber
• Queens
• Saccharine
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• 2010

[fijberto]

do these noise musicians actually make good money?

[YoureWrongImRight]

@fijberto Doubtful. I mean, they better not.

If they do, I'm gonna get a broken TV that only plays static and a pair of garbage can lids, smoke or eat some peyote (whichever it is) and release my masterpiece.

[hiowaska]

more hardcore polka reviews

[YoureWrongImRight]

@hiowaska Now THERE'S an idea.

[MonMccool123]

Yeah. I was thinking about getting this a while ago. Still thinking. hehe

I just need another noise album to add to my collection.

[YoureWrongImRight]

@MonMccool123 Listen to it before you buy it. I liked their previous album a lot more.

[kuj4z]

You said screeching twice! hahaha

[mfish618]

I just ordered this cd. I do find it enjoyable, but then I've heard about every type of music there is and am bored beyond belief with the same old crap. Granted City of Straw is very dark and barely coherent. But given the direction this nation is going, I find a lot more sensibility in this album than the status quo.

[rneville101]

@YoureWrongImRight Check out the May 24, 2010 issue of The New Yorker, page 80, if you haven't already. There's a good article about noise rock.

[macleodponeage]

@YoureWrongImRight Please do!

[macleodponeage]

This sounds pretty cool.

[subliminalduck]

I listened to a few songs on this and I didn't really like it. There's other noise stuff out there that is way beyond this.

[fijberto]

@YoureWrongImRight hahahahah I'm convinced this kind of music will either cure or cause constipation. Only time will tell!