My first introduction to the Black Lips was 2007's 'Good, Bad, Not Evil.' I went to see them live last year, with my step dad, the venerable Tom Stacho, (he wanted to see The Raconteurs and i wanted to see the Black Lips and they were playing together. He described the Black Lips as 'wild' but he got pretty into it) and he bought me 'Let it Bloom' on vinyl. I really love both records. The Black Lips are cheeky, irreverent, and clever. However, they can also be goofy, sometimes tender and always urgent which gives a warmth to their brand of punk that i think is hard to come by. This is part of what makes them so irresistable for me. On 'Let it Bloom' you can hear a group of boys that NEED to make noise and like to have fun. On 'Good, Bad, Not Evil,' the raw energy of 'Let it Bloom' is, in my opinion, enhanced by tighter song structure and more obvious pop sensibilities. Tell me 'Bad Kids' isn't an anthem and I'll tell you you have brain damage.
'200 Million Thousand' is out of this world. It is perhaps a tiny bit less accessible, though also perhaps more sophisticated (not that i would know anything about being sophisticated) than 'Good, Bad, Not Evil' while still as kinetic and raw as any of their previous output. Some of these songs feel a little like church or something. It feels like being in a trance where the music is filling you up with joy and agression and it gives you a fever that only motion and noise can quell. The Black Lips want to bleed, sweat, spit, snarl, yell, dance, and laugh it out. Even better, they want you to come with them and you cant help but join.
Black Lips-I Saw God
Black Lips Blog-Required Reading
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