Sightings

Sightings strips standard rock & roll of its melodies and hooks to produce a churning mass of growls and feedback, ranging from the piercing scrape of guitar strings to the low rumble inside a bass amp. The resulting post-punk wreckage draws clear parallels to experimental outfits such as Einstürzende Neubauten, the early-’80s no wave scene, and contemporary noise acts including Wolf Eyes, Black Dice, Lightning Bolt, and Ruins. The band took shape in New York City in 1997 after guitarist and vocalist Mark Morgan began jamming with drummer John Lockie. Bassist Richard Hoffman came aboard the next year, prompting the trio to issue a relatively straightforward rock single on the Freedom From label. Once they embraced their art-rock direction and took cues from Yoko Ono, Cabaret Voltaire, and Red Transistor, Sightings cut their self-titled debut, which Load Records released in 2002. Two further Load albums followed—Absolutes in 2003 and Through the Panama in 2007—before the group moved to Jagjaguwar and delivered City of Straw in 2010.