BATS IN THE LITE BRITE

PIKE 161 - BATS IN THE LITE BRITE is the 60th album released by BUCKETHEAD in 2015. Here's what's the same as most other PIKES: it is all instrumental, BUCKETHEAD plays all the instruments, it clocks in near the half hour marker at 31:38.

Here's what's different from every other PIKE: this one has a super creepy album cover (one of my faves) and is the only PIKE to have the little comic book box and BUCKETHEADLAND logo at the bottom of the album cover instead of the top. The logo is actually emulating as an electrical charge from creepy dude's fingers.

LITE BRITE was a phenomena of the 70s but originated in 1967. It was basically a small box with a light behind the front panel where plastic pegs fit into the panel. You could create pictures of chickens, words or even slunk stacks if you're good enough! I believe this toy is still manufactured. Anyway, in theme all eight tracks are titled "Peg," so we get "Peg 1," "Peg 2" and so forth to "Peg 8."

"Peg 1" starts out sounding like Berlin School progressive electronic music and could easily be mistaken for Klaus Schulze, Tangerine Dream or any other ambient superstar of the day. It kinda sounds like it would be suitable for a horror soundtrack and a preview in a way of many of the ambient electronic albums in the countdown to Halloween PIKES. Around the 2 minute mark we get some slight cymbal action with flute sounding synthesizers layering some sort of melody over a brooding atmospheric dreadful sounding ambience.

"Peg 2" is noticeably different but is still progressive electronic ambience. It immediately starts with some kind of underwater sonar type pulsating sounds and has creepy ambient melodies in the background with that "moving cloud" kind of drift feel to it. It becomes more bizarre as things progress the parade of sounds that drop in and drop out and morph or flower into other things.

"Peg 3" basically blends into "Peg 2" and is only distinguished by a new sweeping electronic sound. There is still no percussion or stringed instruments to be found. This is creepy ambient music all the way. Love some of the ghostly apparitions hauntings towards the end :P

"Peg 4" continues with a new weird electronic menagerie of sounds that weave together to maximize the horrific feel of being trapped in a haunted house or something. Basically the rest of the album just continues to go down this path so no need to explain any further. It is utterly unpredictable and sounds very random but for what it's going for is quite effective. This would be great dungeon music, a haunted house soundtrack or perfect for any time you just want to get all creepified to the max!

Overall this is very effective as a progressive electronic album where all the sounds march together and the effects, timings and overall compositional themes are the stuff of nightmares. This is probably not going to make anybody's favorite BUCKETHEAD album of all time but if you let go of any notion of a rock, funk or metal album then you can appreciate that BUCKETHEAD is a brilliant composer of multi-layered ambient electronic music that delivers on the emotional response it intends to evoke. 3.5 rounded up