In the Grips of the Light

Racebannon have become well-known for their relentless live shows at which they've destroyed nearly every PA they've had direct line to with their evangelical fanaticism. The band is a cross breed of Captain Beefheart's controlled spontaneity, Melvins and Blue Cheer-esque sludgy heaviosity, and Melt Banana-like noisy spazz. And vocalist Mike Anderson is equal parts sage medicine man a la H.R. of Bad Brains as well as reminiscent of David Yow's mongoloid-as-charismatic-frontman (Scratch Acid and early Jesus Lizard). After a long and booze/drug addled courtship, the Bannon and Secretly Canadian exchanged vows and bodily fluids in a secretive ceremony, consecrating the marriage with the subsequent shotgun wedding present In The Grips Of The Light. Laid out in one week in Lincoln, Nebraska, with Mike Mogis at the helm (famous for the work with his groups Bright Eyes and Lullaby for the Working Class, in addition to lending his hands and ears to Songs: Ohia, The Faint, and Cursive), In The Grips Of The Light is 56 minutes of focused and contained musical chaos,the milkman's baby born of distortion, screams, emotion, distress, dismay and frenzied destruction. Frantic yet ambient, massively heavy yet intelligent, In The Grips is not only a griot for the Hoosier felons serving time in the middle of nowhere, it is also the soundtrack of the latchkey kid on downers in all of us.