Arabia Mountain

Black Lips | Format: MP3 Music

Product Details

• Original Release Date: June 7, 2011
• Release Date: June 7, 2011
• Label: Vice Music
• Copyright: 2011 Vice Music Inc
• Record Company Required Metadata: Music file metadata contains unique purchase identifier. Learn more.
• Total Length: 41:15
• Genres:
  • Rock
• ASIN: B005343HRG
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #28,846 Paid in MP3 Albums (See Top 100 Paid in MP3 Albums)

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Something of a Rebirth August 1, 2011

By Gregory William Locke

Format:Audio CD

Truth be told, I thought the Black Lips were done. Over 12 or so years the band released a number of solid garage rock records, hitting their peak with 2007's Good Bad Not Evil. That record, which positioned them at the front of the current noisy garage trend, was followed by 2009's much anticipated 200 Million Thousand. And while most fans and writers seemed to dig 200 Million upon its release, you rarely heard anyone mention - let alone play - that album a month or so after its initial release. The Lips had, it seemed, run out of corners in their garage, and were thus caught stretching to continue to do new, interesting things within the confines of their limiting palate. There's really only so much you can do, they say, when you play poppy garage rock: you can turn it up; you can make it messier; you can rip off another garage rock band that sounds two percent different than the one you were ripping off before; you can die young.

Arabia Mountain, the band's sixth studio album since their 2003 debut, is a rebirth of sorts. Produced by hotshot Mark Ronson (Amy Winehouse, Duran Duran, Richard Swift, etc.), the sound here mixes the cleaned-up vibe of Good Bad Not Evil with the Black Lips' earlier, messier work to brilliant results. Boasting a production value and sound that at once resembles both The Sonics and early-era Kinks, Arabia Mountain's 16 songs pass quickly and with variety. The punk-influenced vocal style of Cole Alexander is still up front (probably more than ever), and here and there he loudly embraces his "bratty kid" voice for entire songs at a time.... Track three, "Spidey's Curse, a song about Spider-Man being molested as a boy, is Cole at his most lovable and accessible while "Raw Meat" feels as much like a classic-era Ramones track as anything we've heard since Joey passed on 10 years ago now. Tracks like "The Lie" and "You Keep On Running" see the Lips taking their influence from more psychedelic bands like The Small Faces, The 13th Floor Elevators and selected Byrds. And it works, even if it's not quite what I personally prefer to hear from this crew of rowdy misfits.

At their best on cuts like opener "Family Tree" and "Bicentennial Man," the Lips dig their way through the best sounds of the 60s on Arabia Mountain, never hiding behind production choices or garage cliches. For the first time in their already lengthy - and incredibly busy - career, this quartet has finally put up a complete work to be taken seriously by music fans. There's variety and cohesion here that no one expected from a band that was, before now, known more as pleasantly sloppy noisemakers than as nostalgic album-makers. Make no mistake, with Arabia Mountain Atlanta's Black Lips prove once and for all that they're the real deal. Rather than hide behind kitsch-y style and punk-rock poseur moves, they've whipped up a highly satisfying batch of songs that pays tribute to the 60s in a fun, youthful way. One of the best records of 2011, easily.

Check out more of my music- and film-related writing at ZeCatalist.com. Read more ›

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Not what I expected June 21, 2011

By Kyle McClain

Format:Audio CD

I'm a huge Black Lips fan. I've been following their music for years now and never expected an album like this. It took me about a week of listening to it to appreciate it. I would never go so far as to say it's their best album. It's not rough enough, loud enough, aggressive enough, but it's different. I'd like to disagree with the other post saying it's better than their last album. If you really enjoy the Black Lips, 200 Million Thousand was them taking a step back into their roots. This album is going a new direction. A more "let's go party and have a fun time" direction. I support it 100%. You gotta change.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars A new direction for their best album yet January 10, 2012

By Ryan Estabrooks

Format:Audio CD

(Taken from my blog at [...])

Known for being messy, reckless individuals, many were afraid that the Black Lips would clean up their act with this record, seeing as it's produced by pop-gloss-master Mark Ronson. But although there is a bit of a cleaner sound, it's still inherently messy. By scraping a bit of the fuzz from the tone, the songwriting is showcased at the forefront, which could be a problem when taking a look at some of their previous cuts.

Miraculously though, the Black Lips leveled up in this department. Their songwriting is snarkier, leaner, and meaner then they have been in a while. Although I loved "200 Million Thousand" for its basement murkiness and questionable ethics, I'll be the first to admit that it's a bit muddled and one-note. Here they show considerable range but their ear for melodies has simply matured with their musical phrases turning into unexpected earworms. This album is definitely more pop than they have ever been but somehow, it allows them to shine like never before.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Better in Hi-Fi December 16, 2011

By The Komik Khan

Format:Audio CD

I always felt that the black lips should have always been heard in Hi-Fi, and you can tell when you see them live that their a band that should be in full fledged sound. For me personally, this album is a Godsend as I always felt the Black Lips were held back from being Lo-Fi only-minded, and here they break away from these pre-determined restrictions. This is the way they should be listened to (dude, don't even argue). This is a band that's always had a big sound behind them, and now they're pumping at warp 9. Been a big fan for years, and now we get to hear them in surround sound.

Some purist may be upset with the new album, but it's defintly a step in the right directon and has brought new love for me in the Lips. Lo-Fi died when Jay Reatard did (and if you saw him live, you wouldn't even know he was Lo-Fi). Don't get me wrong, I love all the previous albums from the Lips, but now we get to hear them without the restraints (as previously mentioned associated without the Lo-Fi Sound, and it's simply awesome.

If you can find it, they did a great co-host show on sirius xmu explaining the transition and their debacle of a trip in India. Simply awesome and hilarious. Either way, after all the speculation and whatevers, this is one of thier best albums bar none. Just listen to "Family Tree", which sounds like a cross from some old 90's ska and a pinch of "Harlem" (Hippies/Free Drugs).Then, as a comic book fan "Spidey's Curse" is relevent for myself and hillarious, then the tune "Bone Marrow" really show cases the "new" Black Lips while giving that throw back sound. The rest of the album isn't flled with...well...filer....

If you heard any of tracks on this album previously to this review, I have no idea why you havn't gone out and bought or burned this yet.... I don't work for the record label in any way, but please for your own sake click on "buy now with one click" or at least hit on "add to wish list". Read more ›