Lightning Bolt are known for their guerrilla-style live performances, where they typically play on the ground rather than a stage, with the crowd gathered around them. The band's sound is typically loud and aggressive, though the group cites composers Philip Glass and Sun Ra as compositional influences.
The band formed while Chippendale and Gibson attended the Rhode Island School of Design in Providence, Rhode Island, and Chippendale had heard about "a new kid who was a whiz on the bass guitar." The two formed Lightning Bolt, with Brian Chippendale on drums, Brian Gibson on bass guitar, and with Hisham Bharoocha on guitar and vocals joining the group after their first show. Bharoocha left the group in 1996 to continue with another RISD band that would eventually become Black Dice, and Chippendale took over vocal duties. The only officially-released music with Bharoocha was a track on the Repopulation Program compilation. For the first few years, Lightning Bolt was primarily an improvisational band, touring the United States for months at a time and "just playing". The concept of writing songs and recording an album didn't occur to the band until 1997, when Ben McOsker, founder of Load Records, approached the duo.
During these formative years, Chippendale and his freshman-year college roommate Matt Brinkman began to set up Fort Thunder, a disused warehouse space in the Olneyville district of Providence. The space eventually came to house a number of local avant-garde artists and musicians, including Brian Ralph as well as Lightning Bolt.
13
Lightning Bolt Lyrics
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5 6 7 8 we must evacuate
9 10 11 12 we must prepare for
13 monsters
13 monsters
The lyrics of Lightning Bolt's song 13 Monsters convey a sense of fear for an imminent danger represented by thirteen monsters. The counting in the first verse adds a sense of urgency and helps build tension. The words "we must lock the door" and "we must evacuate" suggest that the monsters are a real threat and that the singer is trying to take action to protect themselves. The repetition of the phrase "13 monsters" reinforces the idea that this is the main focus of the lyrics.
The song can be interpreted as a metaphor for dealing with anxiety or inner demons. The repetition of the counting in the first verse can be seen as a manifestation of obsessive-compulsive behavior, and the monsters can represent the fears and doubts that haunt the singer. The urgency in the lyrics suggests that the singer is aware of the danger, but also that they feel overwhelmed and unsure of how to deal with it.
Line by Line Meaning
1 2 3 4 we must lock the door
We need to secure ourselves from outside threats by locking the door.
5 6 7 8 we must evacuate
We need to vacate the premises quickly to ensure our safety.
9 10 11 12 we must prepare for
We need to equip ourselves and get ready to face the danger ahead.
13 monsters
There are many dangerous entities lurking around us that we need to be aware of.
13 monsters
We reiterate that there are many monsters out there, and we need to stay alert and brace ourselves for any possible encounter.
Lyrics © OBO APRA/AMCOS
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