
(Photo: Zach Wolfe)
The Mark Ronson-produced Arabia Mountain, out June 7 on Vice, finds Black Lips sounding a lot like the Fun House incarnation of the Stooges, but with surprising twists. With a fuzzy lead guitar playing something very close to the Phrygian scale that is so common in Arabic and Egyptian music, as well as surf-rock lyrics like “Let’s go out and find the ocean ‘cause I think we need a swim”—“Modern Art” is, in turns, a stylistic statement and a fun rock song.

(photo cred : Dickies)
The Drop I Hold appears on Black Lips’ 2009 release 200 Million Thousand, but while at SXSW the gritty band teamed up with Wu-Tang’s GZA to perform the song on two different occasions. They liked the outcome so much, the unlikely pairing got together later at Werewolf Heart Studios and recorded this version.

Black Lips released a new video for their first single from 200 Million Thousand, Short Fuse.
This week’s releases is a bit slim compared to the massive amount from last week, which i’m sure may be a relief to many. Though, if you’re looking to pick up something, you can’t go wrong with releases from Black Lips, Here We Go Magic, Clem Snide, and Laura Gibson.
Also available this week is the covers compilation War Child: Heroes, which you may have heard a tune from if you happened to sit through the credits during the Oscars this past Sunday night. Beck’s cover of Bob Dylan’s “Leopard-Skin Pill-Box Hat” could be heard during the clips of upcoming films for 2009. You can read more about the 16-track album at the War Child organization website, which works with children affected by war in Iraq, Afghanistan, Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda.
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