Among its many virtues, the second album by John Lydon's post-Sex Pistols group has the most brain-devouring bass sound ever, courtesy of Jah Wobble, whose dubby throb overpowers Lydon's drugged-out wail and Keith Levene's spidery, modal guitar lines. Lydon's words and singing evoke unending horror--they're the voice of a man in hell who can barely understand what's happening to him--and the songs here cycle through a few notes over and over until they're abruptly cut off. "This person's had enough of useless memories," he moans, and Second Edition isn't just a repudiation of rock's chords and catharsis, but a despairing attempt to forget. --Douglas Wolk
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