Black Lips - Black Lips

  by Andrew Carver

published: 22 / 4 / 2003

---

“I think when you come to a real rock club you don’t fuck it up,” a man harrumphs at the beginning of Black Lips! debut, presumably after witnessing some puerile onstage stunt. “Exactly .. you should be over 21 to do that shit,” the woman he’s speaking to replies. Well, the Lips are under 21, and fucking things up would seem to be the raison d’etre of the youthful foursome. They come across like a less frenetic Oblivians — tinny phone-fidelity vocals (with drunken shoutalong choruses), primitive chord thumping, sinister fuzz and spiky double-stopped riffs,  ... if Royal Trux had listened to the Troggs instead of the Rolling Stones, they might sound like this (though the album does sound quite Stonesy at times). Some tunes, like 'Ain't’ No Deal' approach something like tightness, but for the most part the band barely keeps things together: the countrified 'Stone Cold' is held together with baling wire, a chicken-pickin’ guitar riff and a barely ,perceptible whistle; 'I’ve Got A Knife' has some random piano hammering where most bands would put a guitar solo; 'Down and Out' backs wretched vocals with broken bottle percussion. Bomp and it’s affiliated labels (Alive, The Committee to Keep Music Evil) have been on a bit of a tear lately, releasing great albums from Big Midnight, the Black Keys and the Snakes —add Black Lips to the list of great Bomp discoveries. Sadly, lead guitarist Ben Eberbaugh was killed on Dec. 1, 2002 — the day before the band was to play for their CD release party — by a head-on collision when a driver crossed into the lane his car was travelling in. The band is apparently soldiering on; based on their debut, that's a very good thing indeed.

Track Listing:-

1 Throw It Away
2 Freakout
3 Ain't No Deal
4 Stone Cold
5 I've Got a Knife
6 Down and Out
7 Steps
8 Fad
9 Sweet Kin
10 Crazy Girl
11 Everybody Loves a Cocksucker
12 Can't Get Me Down
13 You're Dumb
14 Untitled

Label Links:-

http://www.bompstore.com/
https://www.facebook.com/bomprecords
https://twitter.com/AliveRecords
https://www.youtube.com/user/JIMalive1

Post A Comment

---

Comment

Name

your name

Location

ie London, UK

Submit

Check box to submit

Adam Coxon
Adrian Janes
Amanda J. Window
Andrew Twambley
Anthony Dhanendran
Benjamin Howarth
Cila Warncke
Daniel Cressey
Darren Aston
Dastardly
Dave Goodwin
Denzil Watson

Dixie Ernill
Dominic B. Simpson
Eoghan Lyng
Fiona Hutchings
Harry Sherriff
Helen Tipping
Jamie Rowland
John Clarkson
Julie Cruickshank
Kimberly Bright
Lisa Torem
Maarten Schiethart

Malcolm Carter
Marie Hazelwood
Mark Rowland
Nick Dent-Robinson
Nicky Crewe
Nige Nudds
Philamonjaro
Richard Lewis
Shirley Procter
Spencer Robertshaw
Steev Burgess
Steve Kinrade

Steve Miles
Tommy Gunnarsson
Zena Grieg