The Black Lips
Arabia Mountain
Genre: Garage Rock
Grade: B+
For fans of: The Clash, The White Stripes, The Strokes

For their sixth studio album, Arabia Mountain, The Black Lips brought on producer Mark Ronson, best known for the retro-infused songs of Amy Winehouse. But don’t expect the Atlanta-based band to retreat to the comforting pastures of soul.

The album is a collage of influences from the Velvet Underground and '60s pop to Pavement and The B-52’s. It's stamped with their signature hazy, lo-fi garage rock sound. The band rarely calms down the peppy pace.

Arabia Mountain is firmly in the land of rock where the music is messy and lazy and the lyrics are surreal. There’s definitely a mention of eating Cap N’ Crunch and chasing the dragon on “Don’t Mess Up My Baby.” While The Strokes meander through their so-called comeback and other bands reach for experimental heights only to fail miserably, The Black Lips stick to their guitars and do what they do best: let it rock.

Listen to the rest of the Black Lip's new album on Grooveshark