Dez MillerWhat does singing in a world that’s falling apart sound like? It sounds at times mournful, a little chaotic, a little bit haunting, but also surprisingly joyful. That’s just what the Black Lips are bringing to the table with their ninth full-length album, Sing in a World That’s Falling Apart.
I’d split the songs on this record into two main categories, with one outlier. There are the classic Black Lips tunes (“Hooker Jon,” “Rumbler,” “Angola Rodeo,” “Odelia,” “Dishonest Men,” “Live Fast Die Slow,” “Gentleman”), where every member belts out the chorus and the chord progressions are straightforward, with touches of blues-based guitar riffs and a healthy dose of Southern gothic creepiness in the form of some fuzzy distortion or thoughtfully placed discordance. For this record, the familiar Black Lips sound gets slightly countryfied, with more exaggerated Southern accents, a heavier reliance on blues and country riffs, and stylings like harmonica solos and horse-clomping drums.
Then there are the straight-up Willie Nelson-style country songs (“Chainsaw,” “Holding Me Holding You,” “Georgia,” “Locust”), which lack much raucousness and therefore feel like somewhat of a departure. There’s something almost polite about them, even, which feels like an odd thing to say about the Black Lips. Overall, these are pleasant country songs with lovely depth and I dig them thoroughly.
The outlier, and by far my favorite on the album, is the Zumi Rosow-led Velvet Underground cover “Get It On Time.” Rosow has been in the group for the last two albums as a sax player and backup vocalist, but as far as I know, this is the first time she’s been lead on a song. The track begins rather calm, with two harmonizing guitar parts and sparse background vocalizations by the boys. Zumi’s Karen-Dalton smoky croon is pure heartfelt goodness. I swear I could listen to her drawl, “there goes Richie with a one-way ticket” all goddamn day. It’s all incredibly Southern, especially as the song builds toward its crescendo and you hear Rosow yelling, “Get it on time!” How Rosow, a model and Gucci muse from Los Angeles, manages to sound just like my chain-smoking Great-Aunt Ruby from Hartwell, Georgia, yelling at her kids, is a straight-up mystery to me, and I might be suspicious if I didn’t love it so much.
Two other standouts on this album are “Gentleman” and “Live Fast Die Slow.” Both are talky, narrative Cole Alexander songs, reminiscent of the classic “Dirty Hands” from Let It Bloom. Whereas most Black Lips songs are fun, boyish, irreverent noise, these songs provide an energy release and they also make me emotional. Cole’s quiet, mournful “and she wants a gentleman,” coming in by itself after the loud chorus in “Gentleman” is just plain sweet.
While I definitely appreciated the title of the album (can we say at this point that any piece of art that doesn’t acknowledge that it’s the end of the world isn’t quite art?), the political implications don’t quite pan out in the lyrics. Notably, “Live Free Die Slow,” which contains the title phrase, “a world that’s falling apart,” turns out to tell the story of an inbred boy named Little Jimmy with a “retarded spirit” who moans incomprehensible drivel. The other song that has the ring of being political, “Dishonest Men,” seems, in fact, to just be about cowboys, and any allegorical implications ultimately fall flat.
All in all though, it’s nice to see the band growing up and getting a bit haunted while still having fun. I hope this configuration of the Black Lips lasts because, in many ways, it feels like the most advanced version yet of the band’s sound: hearty, Southern garage rock with a great sense of humor.
The Black Lips will host a two-night stand this Fri. and Sat., Mar. 13-14, at the EARL. Doors open at 7:30 p.m. Both shows are SOLD OUT.
More Info
Web: black-lips.com
Bandcamp: blacklips.bandcamp.com
Facebook: @theblacklips
SoundCloud: @the-black-lips
Twitter: @TheBlackLips