Arabia Mountain (Deluxe Edition)

iTunes Review

Black Lips team up with producers Mark Ronson (Amy Winehouse) and Deerhunter’s Lockett Pundt for their sixth release to create a tighter and cleaner sound while retaining the garage-rock grit and spirit at the core of the band’s identity. The tracks are razor-sharp, scuzzy, and brief — only two of the 16 are longer than three minutes — and the whole album surges by in a blurred rush of hook-filled adrenaline on first listen. Subsequent spins bring individual tracks to the surface that benefit from some fine flourishes including honking sax breaks, jangly acoustic guitar, whistles, and pounding piano. Their retro approach is playful and infectious on “Family Tree,” “Mad Dog,” “Bicentennial Man,” “New Direction,” and the irresistible “Go Out and Get It.” “Dumpster Dive” has a twisted country-rock feel, “Raw Meat” and “Bone Marrow” are great psych rock rave-ups, and “Spidey’s Curse” finds the band at their most melodic and absurd. In taming some of their wildest impulses Black Lips deliver a crisp and focused batch of songs that is easy to flip for.