Black Lips

Over the past 3 years, one of my favorite bands has been the Black Lips. I only found out about them when they released "Let It Bloom" which took time to grow on me. I wasn't immediately blown away by them, but after a couple listens, it became a go-to album. Both of their next releases were killer as well. The live album recorded in Mexico was incredible, and I loved "Good Bad Not Evil". About a year ago, I made a mix CD of their stuff for a friend who had never heard them, in hopes of convincing him to see them live with me - it worked. As a consequence, I listened to that mix of my favorite 16 or so songs more than anything else of theirs. I got to skip the filler, and only heard the classics. It would have been tough for a new Black Lips album to match a career-spanning greatest hits mix, which inevitably set the bar pretty high for the new album, "200 Million Thousand".
On first listen, my opinion of the new album mirrored pretty much exactly that of the review at slang editorial. I heard the first few songs, and thought, "eh, they're ok i guess, but nothing too special". I was waiting for another Katrina, Boomerang, Fad, MIA, Stranger etc. I was just plain disappointed. I've now listened to it many times since, to make sure i understand what the deal is. Overall, the album isn't really that bad, but I prefer all of their previous LPs to this. There are a handful of songs I really dig though. Again and Again, and Body Contact both have that back from the grave fuzz stomp that the black lips pull off so well. I also like Drugs, Starting over and short fuse, but I'm already at the point where I started skipping a few tracks when I listen.
Oh well.

Here's a video of them covering the KK&BBQ Show and then doing Stranger. Killer.



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The Black Lips

The Black Lips seem like an odd choice to become a hipster chic band, releasing their latest live album on hipper than thou label Vice records. With their insane sloppiness, rudimentary playing and loads of feedback, i wouldn't assume they'd be one of the more accesible or listener friendly rocknroll bands out there. But through it all, they have a great melodic sense, and I suppose thats what the kids are latching on to. Songs like "Boomerang" were meant for campfire singalongs. On Los Valientes Del Mondo Nuevo, the self proclaimed flower punks recorded themselves live in the city of sin itself, Tijauana. Just from listening to the crowd's reaction, you could tell that the show must have been a crazy party. The band is smokin also, in all of their sloppy, gritty glory. From the drunken introduction in Spanish to the psuedo spaghetti western outro, this album is a lot of fun. These guys are also touring this summer, they're playing at Maxwells next month, just before taking the stage as part of this summer's Siren Fest on Coney Island. Check it.