Album Review: Black Lips - Underneath The Rainbow

Black Lips' latest is a continuation of their rockabilly-flecked psych-rock. Boisterous, uncontained enthusiasm married to irrepressible percussion makes Underneath The Rainbow the soundtrack you want on a road trip or before a big night out.
The mood dips between frenetic and mid-tempo, every song dipped in cowboy swag, like the casually catchy Waiting or opener Drive-By Buddy, each telling stories equal parts grit and guts, teamed with an overwhelmingly fun energy. The songs are either drenched in murky reverb or delivered crisp and clean, each having their place on the record. There's greater appeal in '60s-tinged songs like Smiling, the vocals in not-quite-singing, not quite-shouting purgatory. It's brash, it's messy, but it's undeniably entertaining. Production from Tommy Breneck (The Dap-Kings) and Patrick Carney (The Black Keys) has certainly helped the quartet hone their musical mania.

Admittedly there is no stand-out catch-all song on this record in the way Modern Art or Family Tree captivated on 2011's Arabia Mountain, but there's a new stylistic constant that makes Underneath The Rainbow an easy listen from start to finish. Dorner Party is total '50s surf beach party teamed with psychobilly antics, and Do The Vibrate puts a sinister twist on an old-fashioned jiving dance tune, lyrics like “Put your phone in your crotch and set it on vibrate” dripping with filth.
This is 'get out of your seat and dance' music; it is 'nod your head and stomp your feet' music.