The Black Lips
Arabia Mountain
Vice Records
Whether you think of Atlanta flower-punks, The Black Lips, as lovable idiots, or a bunch of fucking idiots, Arabia Mountain will do little to shift your opinion in either direction. This Mark Ronson produced, sixth album, only slightly cleans up their vintage, garage rock sound while letting The Black Lips be themselves. So, we get a song about Spiderman’s existential worries (“Spidey’s Dilemma”), a Let It Bleed like, Rolling Stones jam about scavenging through trash (“Dumpster Diving”) a bouncy, ode a retired Atlanta Braves mascot, (“Noc-A-Homa,”) and “Raw Meat,” a Ramones styled, three-chord punk jam where band, and producer literally ate raw meat to geek themselves for its recording. So, say what you will about The Black Lips, go ahead and say it. What you can no longer question is their dedication to this idiot cause. 7 out of 10 on The Rockometer.
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