BLACK LIPS

200 Million Thousand

BIO:

As a fixture in the burgeoning Atlanta music scene, the Black Lips has made a name for itself with the self-described brand of “hippie punk” rock. While still teenagers in Atlanta the band was formed in 2000. From the first days when the member’s were barely able to keep instruments in tune to the band’s recent unexpected worldwide fame, “200 Million Thousand” marks the band’s fifth studio effort.

REVIEW:

By all accounts, “200 Million Thousand” is supposed to be the Black Lips’ breakout record. Having toured the world several times over, built up a reputation as one of the wildest live shows around (trying to set a fire inside the 40 Watt Club, for example) and releasing a string of critically praised garage rock classics – the band has paid its dues, and at this point no one would blame it for selling out and succumbing to audience expectations.

Except if you’re a band notorious for urinating on stage during concerts, it not only seems apt to avoid these expectations, but to piss on them as well. And “200 Million Thousand” is just that, a middle finger to anyone who expected anything other than what the record should be: Endlessly catchy, uncompromisingly noisy and punk as hell.

Mastered from a lacquer 33 r.p.m. record, “200 Million Thousand”‘s sound has the warmth of an old time-y vinyl recording with the requisite hiss and pop in the backdrop of each song. But while the production is vintage, the songwriting blurs the distinction between retro and contemporary. Take the track “Drugs” for example, which at first sounds like a jangly, sock hop ode to teenage love, but that’s before bassist Jared Swilley belts out “We’ll hammer down in my Plymouth Barracuda, huffin’ and a puffin’ on that B.C. Buddha” — it’s classic Black Lips: hummable, sleazy and affectionately subversive all at once.

“The Drop I Hold” is the band’s first foray into rap. The track’s stark, cinematic back-beat meshes surprisingly well with guitarist Cole Alexander’s booze scorched vocals, sounding eerily like a white boy version of the late Ol’ Dirty Bastard’s guttural flow.

Indeed, the album’s biggest strength is its stylistic diversity. From the gospel infused garage stomp of “Elijah” to the psychedelic soul of “Trapped In A Basement,” it’s evident the band took its time with this one, and in the process matured as songwriters.

VERDICT:

It’s not all that often a band manages to make a record that maintains the balance between artistic ambition and consistency while still retaining integrity as a group. With “200 Million Thousand” the Black Lips have accomplished that goal – a feat only special bands can pull off.