Black Lips Sing In A World That's Falling Apart & Shows # 820, 823, 824

Released in January 2020, The Black Lips 9th studio album Sing In A World That’s Falling Apart finds the band in a new territory. Called cosmic country by some, the latest offering by Atlanta’s Black Lips is a country record, but other influences attach themselves to the tracks throughout this release. The band’s flower punk and garage rock sound still find their way through and surface at different points on this album. Following the line up change after 2014’s Underneath The Rainbow, guitarist Ian Saint Pe and drummer Joe Bradley exited the group. Jack Hines rejoined the band on guitar (from an earlier incarnation of the group), Oakley Munson from Atlanta’s The Witnesses joined on drums and Zumi Rosow joined on saxophone. They released one album with this line up, the psychedelic tinged Satan’s Graffiti Or God’s Art? in 2017. In 2018, Jack Hines left the group and guitarist/vocalist Jeff Clarke (from Montreal’s Demon’s Claws) joined The Black Lips forging a new line up. Recorded and co-produced by Nic Jodin at Valentine Recording Studios in Laurel Canyon, The Black Lips Sing In A World That’s Falling Apart was recorded on all analog equipment, which lends a certain aesthetic to Black Lips sleazy, country charms.

“Hooker Jon” opens Sing In A World That’s Falling Apart with a guitar fuzz pedal driven country song. Sung by guitarist/vocalist Cole Alexander with lyrics such as “Everybody’s wrong about what turns me on” it evokes a gritty tale of prostitution and mistaken identities. “Chainsaw” is a slower country number, sung by guitarist Jeff Clarke. Conjuring up a Rolling Stones/Gram Parsons, country ballad aesthetic, lyrics such as “And it’s hard to know/That you’ve gone away”, paint a shocking vivid portrait of absence, loss and memory that cuts your right to your very soul. “Rumbler” shifts into upbeat terrain. Sung by bassist Jared Swiley, this song blends fuzzy garage rock riffs with outlaw country and rockabilly. Lyrically, the song is influenced by a GI Joe action figure that was based on the bassist’s great uncle. With lyrics “Ride, ride rumbler ride/Leave them good old boys behind/You know they got nowhere to hide”, Swiley unravels a fictionalized story based on his great uncles exploits that finds itself grappling themes of enemies, past lives, the future and the renegade spirit. “Hold Me Holding You” gallops with fast paced country/rockabilly sounds, while “Gentleman” follows next. With its acoustic and organ sound and lyrics “It's getting hard to lie through my teeth/Cause they rotted out and they're not all there” and “And I found out the hard way, that the pathway to her heart is not through her nose”, this track sung by Cole Alexander, shows a form of bleary maturity from the band.

“Get It On Time” is a cover of an obscure Velvet Underground song. Discovered decades ago on a Velvets bootleg by drummer Oakley Munson, the song jangles with a Velvet Underground & Nico dynamic as saxophonist Zumi Rosow loads the song with her lush, mesmerizing vocals. Deciphered from a very rough recording from an early Velvet Underground rehearsal, Munson completed the words to this incomplete song before the band got it down in the studio. “Get It On Time” builds up to a climactic coda as lyrically, The Black Lips wander through a spellbinding rendition of a song about a myriad of missed opportunities and found determinations. “Angola Rodeo” is a more upbeat rock number with a sleazy Exile On Main Street styled horn section. With lyrics such as “So, while I do my time/I'm gonna rope me some bovines/And be a king for a day/If it's only for a little while” bassist Jared Swiley, tells the tale of an outsider that finds his own fleeting freedom in the rodeo, despite its dangers. “Georgia” lurks with its psychedelic country rhythms, pulling in a Waylon Jennings influence. Operating an ode to Black Lips home state, the track is sung by guitarist Jeff Clarke and also intertwines itself with a sense of longing. “Odelia” blends Byrds Sweetheart of the Rodeo style music with the Black Lips 60s garage nugget and psychedelic influences. Released as the first single for this album, this angst-ridden track also portrays a sense of complex emotions about the title character in the song. “Dishonest Men” shuffles with its early rock and roll grooves while adding in surf and 60s garage fuzz influences as Swiley weaves stories that sound like they are pulled out of the gospel an old Western film.

“Locust” is another cosmic country song sung by Jeff Clarke. The words “You kept the linen clean/But you couldn’t keep the dirt off me” and “I'm a locust in the wind, there is nothing where I've been/Just a feeling left behind” reveal further grit and depth to this album. “Live Fast Die Slow” ends Sing In A World That’s Falling Apart. Along with “Gentlemen”, this track proves to be another highlight that dives deep into The Black Lips sleazy ethos. The song which sounds like a late night, drunken epiphany glistens with lyrics such as “Live fast, die slow and painful/In a world that's fallin' apart/I never/Ever live to tell”, that evokes a disturbing and chaotic story of a lost soul. With this song Black Lips end their cosmic country infused album with a warped sense of Americana that walks the line between weirdness, satire and sincerity.

Show 824 Playlist (Originally Aired On April 11th, 2020)(John Prine, Bloodshot Bill, The Strokes):

1. John Prine – Pretty Good
2. John Prine – Quiet Man
3. John Prine – Lonesome Friends of Science
4. Cindy Lee – Heavy Metal
5. Hamilton Leithauser – Isabella
6. No Age - Tuned To String
7. Gum Country - Tennis
8. Bloodshot Bill - My Heart Cries For You
9. Bloodshot Bill - Be My Satellite
10. Stompin’ Tom Connors - The Old Atlantic Shore
11. Fiver - Train Leaves Here This Morning
12. Penny Diving – Shotgun, She Said
13. Lie – Good Boy
14. Fuudge – Tu Peux Prendre Mon Ame
15. Glorious Din – Tenement Roofs
16. Spectres – Pictures from Occupied Europe
17. TOPS – Take Down
18. Ty Segall - Gotta Get Up
19. Brenda Vaqueros - Approaching Zero
20. Clifffs - Panic Attack
21. The Fleshtones - Alex Trebek
22. Ex-Bats - Good Enough For You
23. Johnny West - Losing Light
24. Dead Kennedys – Soup is Good Food
25. Husker Du – Wheels
26. Protomartyr – Here is the Thing
27. The Slits – Heard it Through the Grapevine
28. Psychic Void - Denim Daddy
29. Ancient Shapes - All The Kids
30. Talking Heads - Life During Wartime (Alternate Version)
31. The Strokes - Brooklyn Bridge To Chorus

To download this weeks program, visit CJAM's schedule page for Revolution Rock and download the file for April 11.

Show 823 Playlist (Originally Aired On April 4th, 2020)(Daniel Romano, Black Lips, Bob Dylan):

1. Viagra Boys - Lick The Bag
2. No Fix - Arm The Boys
3. Destination Lonely - In That Time
4. U.S. Girls – Born to Lose
5. Waxahatchee – Witches
6. Nap Eyes – Dark Link
7. Jeff Tweedy – Empty Head
8. Drive by Truckers - Armageddon's Back in Town
9. Andy Shauf - Things I Do
10. Daniel Romano - Where May I Take My Rest
11. Daniel Romano’s The Outfit - Toulouse
12. Chad Vangaalen - Space Dreaming
13. Christopher Sleightholm - Sun’s Rising
14. Born Ruffians – Dedication
15. Mundy's Bay – Heavy Bloom
16. Porridge Radio – Don't Ask Me Twice
17. Holy Fuck – No Error
18. Girl Band – Amygdala
19. Drive Like Jehu – Human Interest
20. Titus Andronicus – On the Street
21. Dogleg – Melee
22. Black Lips - Alone and Forsaken (Laginappe Sessions)
23. Black Lips - Locust
24. Rays - California
25. Shotgun Jimmie - Blues Riffs
26. Trout - Cigarettes
27. The Routes - Just How It Feels
28. Bob Dylan – Murder Most Foul

To download this weeks program, visit CJAM's schedule page for Revolution Rock and download the file for April 4.

Show #820 Playlist (Originally Aired On March 14th, 2020)(Gang of Four, The Make-Up, Throbbing Gristle, Shadow Show, Johnny West, Psychic Void):

1. Gang of Four - Natural's Not In It
2. Gang of Four - A Hole in the Wallet
3. Gang of Four - We Live As We Dream Alone
4. Gang of Four - I Love A Man In Uniform
5. The Make-Up - Every Baby Cries The Same
6. The Make-Up - Hey! Orpheus
7. The Make-Up - Here Comes The Judge
8. Shoobies - Hot Liquid Salmon
9. Johnny West - Calcium Oxalite
10. Johnny West - These Psychic Pants are Slimming
11. Destroyer - Cue Synthesizer
12. Shadow Show - The Alchemist
13. Shadow Show - Trapeze Act
14. Lie - Good Boy
15. Psychic Void - Bone Shaker
16. Psychic Void - Internet Human
17. Throbbing Gristle - 20 Funk Jazz Greats
18. Throbbing Gristle - Hot on the Heels of Love
19. King Krule - Comet Face
20. The Reigning Sound - I Don't Care
21. Loving - If I Am Only My Thoughts
22. The Black Lips - Get it on Time
23. Buck Owens - King of Fools
24. Merle Haggard - Swingin’ Doors (Alternate Version)
25. Guided by Voices - Cat Beats a Drum Surrender
26. Death - Politicians in my Eyes
27. Elephant Stone - Darker Time, Darker Space
28. Trophy Knife - America's Favourite Pastime
29. Trout - Pagliacci
30. Clamm - Dog
31. Wire - Cactused

To download this weeks program, visit CJAM's schedule page for Revolution Rock and download the file for March 14.

Show 821 was a repeat of a Neil Young themed show from February 2020 featuring mostly obscure cuts from his discography. You can download/stream this episode here and find the playlist here.

Show 822 was a repeat of a show from April 2019 featuring music from the I.R.S. Records label. You can download/stream this episode here and find the playlist here.

The Black Lips SGOGA & Shows # 682, 683 & 684

In May of 2017, Atlanta’s The Black Lips returned with their eighth studio album entitled, Satan’s Graffiti or God’s Art? The album brings forth a new era of the band, which has gone through a shift sonically and within the band itself. In 2014, shortly after the release of Underneath The Rainbow, an album produced mainly by Black Keys drummer Patrick Carney, guitarist Ian St Pe left the band. He had been with the band since 2004, leaving at the ten-year mark. He went on to play/record with Diamond Rugs and with his new musical venture, Saint Pe. In addition to this, longtime drummer of the group Joe Bradley also left the band prior to the recording of Satan’s Graffiti or God’s Art? This would deter most bands, but The Black Lips moved forward adding guitarist Jack Hines back into the group (he was featured on the band’s second full-length album We Did Not Know The Forest Spirit Made The Flowers Grow), and completing their lineup with new members Oakley Munson on drums and saxophonist Zumi Rosow. Sonically, the band delves into a form of psychedelic garage rock that is both chaotic and apocalyptic at times.

SGOGA boasts 18 tracks (if you count, intros, outros and interludes) and was produced by Sean Lennon. The album really does tie in with the sounds that were first experimented with on 2004’s We Did Not Know The Forest Spirit Made The Flowers Grow, which also featured Jack Hines on guitar. On that album, which was originally released on Bomp! Records, the band explored, fuzzy, noisy landscapes blending in many psychedelic elements. What’s interesting to note is how that album ends and this one begins. Their 2004 release ends with a hidden jazz song entitled “Hope Jazz” with a looming fuzzy bass sound amongst other jazz and lo-fi ramblings. This album too pulls in some of that hope jazz, having the band project previous reflections of earlier sounds they experimented with, while at the same time mixing in what they have learned musically since then. “Overture: Sunday Mourning” comes in with a smoky Jazz groove before launching into the fuzzy crunch of “Occidental Front”. This song gallops with country grooves and apocalyptic fuzzy garage riffs. It also features guest-backing vocals (or screams might be a more appropriate title) from Yoko Ono and is sung by guitarist Jack Hines. The title is a reference to the early western world, so it is also appropriate that this song also attacks with an undeniable swampy primitivism. “Can’t Hold On” comes in next with psychedelic guitar arpeggios, organ, saxophone and hoarse-sounding vocals by guitarist Cole Alexander. The song is also undeniably catchy amongst its psychedelic musical acoustics with lyrics that reflect the song’s title, in which the songs character sounds as if their about to lose whatever they are holding onto. “The Last Cul De Sac” sounds as if it could be from an undiscovered mid-sixties garage band as lyrically the song tells of a desire to have no more dead ends. “Interlude: Got Me All Alone” has been said to have a Twin Peaks sound, as it features smooth, yet creepy saxophone like music that was found in the 90s cult-classic TV show.

“Crystal Night” sung by bassist Jared Swiley and saxophonist Zumi Rosow is a 50s rock and roll influenced ballad. The song transports the listener into a fictional tale of a forbidden love that takes place during World War II. This strikingly bittersweet song is one of the highlights of this album and one of the strongpoints found on SGOGA with a message of love conquers hate, regardless of the ending. “Squatting In Heaven” begins with trippy sounding guitar and haunting sounding saxophone parts. This song further establishes the band’s sound on this album as filthy, yet smart. “Rebel Intuition” blends garage rock with Bob Dylan Highway 61 rhythms. Sung by guitarist Jack Hines, with lyrics such as “I don’t like impositions/You can let me be”, “I ain’t striving for position”, and “I don’t waste my time wishing/You can let me be”, this song questions preconceived notions of what a person should be doing in their everyday lives. In the end it portrays a person doing what they want within their own means and on their own terms. “Wayne” is a more low key song found on this release reflecting an almost Sweetheart of the Rodeo-Byrds influence. “We Know” is a scuzzy, sludgy rock track, “In My Mind There’s A Dream” displays an unnerving creepy tone, while “Lucid Nightmare” is an unhinged, call and response track from another dimension.

“It Won’t Be Long” originally released by The Beatles in 1963 is featured on this album, however, it is re-imagined by The Black Lips. The song sounds as if it is from the mid-to-late 60s, rather than 1963 with added scuzz. “Loser’s Lament” is an acoustic based pop song that is the second last track found on this album. This song leans in a waltz influenced direction with a Beatles touch. With lyrics such as “He gave up everything/Just to hear his freedom ring/And he hoped for better things/For tomorrow”, this song evokes a tale of someone who risked everything in order to achieve his dreams, but one who got lost within the process before this could happen. The album ends with “Finale: Sunday Mourning”, which is the same musically as the overture that begins this album, however, the finale features a spoken word segment done by Saul Adamczewski (of Fat White Family) in which he talks of “magic beans” and “being a miserable man”, however it is done so with a nonsensical approach to end this album. Throughout SGOGA, The Black Lips venture into a more psychedelic world, while at the same time branching out into other directions sonically and lyrically. They also poke fun at the idea of a concept album, while treading in concept album waters to some extent. With Satan’s Graffiti or God’s Art? The Black Lips balance in-between two musical worlds, one of the past and one of the present. They may be a little bit different this time around, but The Black Lips sure haven’t lost their sleazy charms.

Show 684 Playlist (Originally Aired On September 9th, 2017):

1. King Loser - Surf Lost
2. King Loser - 76 Comeback
3. L.A. Witch - You Love Nothing
4. Mr. Elevator & The Brain Hotel - Right Where You Ought To Be
5. Suicide Commandos - You're Not The First One
6. The Suburbs - Urban Gorilla
7. Prime Junk - Dude
8. Strange Relations - Orbit
9. Mogwaii - Party In The Dark
10. Safe Word - Wasted Youth
11. Motorhead - God Save The Queen
12. The Replacements - Shiftless When Idle
13. Oh Sees - The Static God
14. Stompin' Tom Connors - The Hockey Song
15. The Yipes - The Ballad of Roy Orbison
16. Peter & The Wolves - Boy Who Cried I Love You
17. Tav Falco's Panther Burns - Bourgeois Blues
18. Deja Voodoo - White Sugar
19. Joe Strummer & The Latino Rockabilly War - Search Party
20. The Tarantulas - Tarantula
21. The Treasures - Minor Chaos
22. The Motions - Big Chief
23. Shadowy Men On A Shadowy Planet - The Last of My Hiccups
24. Sam Coffey & The Iron Lungs - Talk 2 Her
25. Mark Sultan - Calloused Hands
26. The Black Lips - We Know
27. Husker Du - In A Free Land
28. The Replacements - Takin' A Ride
29. The Replacements - Careless

To download this weeks program, visit CJAM's schedule page for Revolution Rock and download the file for September 9.

Show 682 Playlist (Originally Aired On September 2nd, 2017):

1. Outrageous Cherry - I Believe In Sunshine
2. A Passing Fancy - I Believe In Sunshine
3. Actual Water - Sleeping In The Garden
4. Neil Young - Ride My Llama
5. Radiohead - Lift
6. Waxahatchee - Hear You
7. Black Pudding - Sci-Fi Si
8. Thin Lizzy - Dancing In The Moonlight
9. Thin Lizzy - Southbound
10. Iggy Pop - Some Weird Sin
11. Iggy Pop - Neighborhood Threat
12. CAN - Don't Say No
13. Atomicos - Hotdog!
14. Aron D'Alesio - Long Way Gone
15. Trout - Easy Breezy Easy
16. Lychi - Meandering
17. Ryan Joseph Anderson - Molly The Flood
18. The Yawpers - Mon Dieu
19. Wooden Sky - All Apologies
20. Nirvana - Dumb (Alternate)
21. Teenanger - N.O.B.L.O.`
22. B-52's - Private Idaho
23. The Boys - Living in the City
24. Chrome - Chromosome Damage
25. Paul Jacobs - Quarter To Eleven
26. Duotang - Bastard Five
27. The Black Lips - Lucid Nightmare
28. The Black Lips - It Won't Be Long

To download this weeks program, visit CJAM's schedule page for Revolution Rock and download the file for September 2.

Show 682 Playlist (Originally Aired On August 26th, 2017):

1. Sam Coffey & The Iron Lungs - Voicemail
2. The Fresh & Onlys - Impossible Man
3. The Fresh & Onlys - Wolf Lie Down
4. Sunglaciers - H.C.M.
5. Slates - Yellowknife
6. Guided By Voices - How To Murder A Man in Three Acts
7. Reigning Sound - Stick Up For Me
8. The Detroit Cobras - (I Wanna Know) What's Going On?
9. The Dirtbombs - I Can't Stop Thinking About It
10. The Gories - You Don't Love Me
11. Danny & The Darleans - Can't Kill The Rooster
12. King Khan - Discrete Disguise
13. The Fuzzy Undertones - Sharks!
14. The Count Ferrara - Toxic Fog
15. The Black Angels - Grab As Much As (You Can)
16. Christian Bland & The Revelators - Diddley Stomp
17. The UFO Club - Bo Diddley Was The 7th Son
18. Bo Diddley - Rock 'N' Roll
19. Hurricane & Able - The Novel
20. The Hi-Fi's - Look What You've Done
21. Randy Rampage - Don't Be Afraid
22. Uubbuurru - Living In An Angel's Corpse
23. Dion Lunadon - Move
24. Cellos - White Lines
25. The Standells - Mr Nobody
26. The Standells - Sometimes Good Guys Don't Wear White


To download this weeks program, visit CJAM's schedule page for Revolution Rock and download the file for August 26.

2014 Highlights & Show # 540

The following is a collection of some of my favourite releases from 2014. Songs from these albums plus several others can be heard in the podcast below. It can be downloaded below the play list.

As a bonus, this year Revolution Rock featured a co-host on several occasions. I have included Adam’s (my occasional co-hosts) top ten in this post as well.

1. Thee Oh Sees - Drop

After announcing that the band will be taking a hiatus last year, Thee Oh Sees released their eighth full-length album at the end of April. Entitled Drop, the album brings in an intense focus to the band’s already established San Franciscan psychedelic garage sound. Apparently recorded in a banana ripening factory, there’s gritty garage sounds with scruffy guitars, psychedelic solos, a bit of kraut rock and elements found on 2012’s Putrifiers II and 2013’s Floating Coffin. Drop is victorious in its savage, primitive and unrelenting garage psych riffs, while the pop elements sink in deeper amongst the synthesizers and crude album cover artwork.

2. Teenanger – E P L P

E P L P is Teenanger from Toronto’s fourth studio album. The album has an undeniable garage punk sleaze to it. The sound on this album is one that is difficult to describe specifically, it is the sound of a band in their element. On E P L P the new wave/post punk influence from previous albums is still apparent, but there seems to be more voluminous guitar riffs that are like shards of shrapnel. Basslines sound thick and at times fuzz addled, as analog sounding drums, snotty vocals by Chris Swimmings and backing vocals provided by Melissa Ball add to the overall battlefield of dynamics found here. With E P L P Teenanger does not misfire. Throughout this nine-track launch the band hones their sound and are right on target.

3. White Fence - For The Recently Found Innocent

Aesthetically, For The Recently Found Innocent finds a balance between the last two releases from White Fence, 2013’s Cyclops Reap and Live In San Francisco, the later of which was an album that showcased White Fence in a full band and in a more revved up fashion. The album features not only Segall on some drum tracks, but also Nick Murray from White Fence’s live band further connecting his last set of releases. On the album’s front cover we see a painted self-portrait of Presley, not unlike Bob Dylan’s own self-portrait cover image from the 1970 album Self Portrait, but those two albums only have a connection with the artwork, not the music. We can see the same gritty canvas beneath the smeared messy painting on the cover, it is still the same White Fence. On For The Recently Found Innocent, Tim Presley has merely stepped out of his home and upgraded to a more proper studio environment utilizing an 8 track recorder (instead of a 4 track) with the help of Ty Segall and in the process, displays a new type of innocence.

4. The Black Lips - Underneath The Rainbow

Recorded with Patrick Carney (The Black Keys) and Tommy Brenneck (Budos Band), The Black Lips take their “flower punk” garage sound adding some southern and country influences. There is a brief moment in the music video that was created for the song “Justice After All” that perfectly describes what to expect from Black Lips on this album and more than likely in the future. In the video, we see shots of the band performing live and running down a street. At one point during the solo we see a shot of guitarist Ian Saint Pe playing a solo as another shot of guitarist Cole Alexander slides in and he pukes on the ground. This moment shows the listener and viewer that while they are trying new things, they are still the same band that we have all known. They may have branched out on Underneath The Rainbow, showcasing a slightly different spectrum of sound with Southern twang influences, but they are still the same Black Lips.

5. Ty Segall – Manipulator

Manipulator is a double album that contains a multitude of layers. This 56 minute double album also took fourteen months to record, every other Segall release was recorded and released quickly. Musically the album combines elements of Segall’s most recent projects Fuzz, sounds from the album Slaughterhouse with the Ty Segall Band, acoustic elements, and the garage sounds that he has been known for. Additionally, the influence of 70s glam rock and classic rock sounds dominate this seventeen track release.



6. James O-L & The Villains - On The Banks Of The Detroit River

On The Banks Of The Detroit River was recorded in Kingsville, with Brett Humber at Sound Foundry Studios and overall the album has “More of a bigger sound” and “In general the songs have gotten more aggressive”, as James tells me. Lyrically, this album pulls inspirations from its surroundings. Songs on the album seem to evoke a certain tone, one that comes with living in Essex County. Musically this album draws from the folk/country dynamic that James O-L & The Villains have displayed in the past, but it also mixes with an aggressive, punk/90s rock edge. The songs that make up this album portray the subtleties of a band mixing elements of folk, country and the heavy rains of aggressive feedback.

7. Paul Jacobs - Do It Again

Do It Again was the fourth release by the prolific garage rock machine Paul Jacobs in 2014. His first two releases, a split with Vaguess entitled I’ll Listen To This Later and the full-length I Need A Place To Keep My Stuff, both featured Paul Jacobs in his one-man band setup. Paul released the Mouldy Love EP in June of 2014, doing things a bit differently recording with a traditional full band set up and bass, something that has been absent from his solo recordings. Released in October 2014, Do It Again featured the same full band more traditional setup. This release was a collection of re-recordings from Paul Jacobs back catalog even featuring a song from Raised By Weeds, a three-piece band that he played with back in 2012. With Do It Again, Paul Jacobs reworks some of his best songs, presenting them in a compilation-like fashion. The songs still sound as fresh, exhilarating and sometimes better than the original versions. Paul Jacobs does it again, in more ways than one.

8. Sam Coffey & The Iron Lungs - Gates Of Hell

Four of the album’s tracks were recorded with Ben Cook of the band Fucked Up. Sam Coffey covered the rest of the production, recording in the band’s practice space and a variety of other locations adding to the album’s character, as he has done with previous Iron Lungs recordings. Gates Of Hell covers a lot of topics lyrically and musically adds to the Iron Lungs palate. Sam Coffey originally from Waterloo, Ontario, recently relocated to Toronto and expanded his band to a six-piece group. More people in the band means there could be more complication in the overall sound of the group. The band does not fall into this trap here. The band’s sound may have expanded with more members and higher production values, but on Gates Of Hell, Sam Coffey & The Iron Lungs deliver an album that deals with many hellish complex subjects, whether metaphorically or bluntly throughout the album’s lyrical content. Musically they still keep the rowdy, pub-crawl spirit that drew us to them in the first place.

9. Guided By Voices - Motivational Jumpsuit

The first of two albums that Guided By Voices released in 2014, before their eventual split. This album finds the band in one of their unique, prolific creative pockets featuring songs drawing comparison to 1994’s Bee Thousand, 1995’s Alien Lanes and 1996’s Under The Bushes Under The Stars. With Motivational Jumpsuit, Guided By Voices zip up all the loose ends, but not too tightly. Featuring twenty tracks under forty minutes, this album proves that they can still make a great album twenty-one albums into their career.



10. Parquet Courts - Sunbathing Animal

Sunbathing Animal, the band’s third full-length album was recorded in between touring, the sessions also produced an EP beforehand entitled Tally All The Things You Broke. With Sunbathing Animal, Parquet Courts lean more towards the punk, post punk and garage elements of the band with hints of their early noisy beginnings. The band also released another album Content Nausea near the end of 2014 under the band Name Parkay Quarts. The band features a slightly different line-up, but is primarily the work of Andrew Savage and Austin Brown from Parquet Courts.



Adam’s Top Ten for Revolution Rock:

1. Sun Kil Moon – Benji
2. Swans – To Be Kind
3. Perfume Genius – Too Bright
4. Iceage – Plowing Into The Field Of Love
5. St. Vincent – St. Vincent
6. Aerial Pink – Pom Pom
7. Mac DeMarco – Salad Days
8. Ty Segall – Manipulator
9. White Lung – Deep Fantasy
10. Ought – More Than Any Other Day

Best of 2014 Play List:

1. Parquet Courts - Instant Disassembly (Sunbathing Animal - What's Your Rupture? 2014)
2. Parkay Quarts - Content Nausea (Content Nausea - What's Your Rupture? 2014)
3. Guided By Voices - Planet Score (Motivational Jumpsuit - Guided By Voices Inc. 2014)
4. Sam Coffey & The Iron Lungs - Hold Me Close (Gates Of Hell - South Paw Records 2014)
5. Paul Jacobs - Waking Up (Do It Again - Self Released 2014)
6. James O-L & The Villains - Late Night Drive (On The Banks Of The Detroit River - Famous Last Records 2014)
7. Ought - Weather Song (More Than Any Other Day - Constellation Records 2014)
8. White Lung - Just For You (Deep Fantasy - Domino 2014)
9. Ty Segall - Connection Man (Manipulator - Drag City 2014)
10. Mac DeMarco - Blue Boy (Salad Days - Captured Tracks 2014)
11. Ariel Pink - Nude Beach A Go-Go (Pom Pom - 4AD 2014)
12. King Tuff - Magic Mirror (Black Moon Spell - Sub Pop 2014)
13. OFF! - I Won't Be A Casualty (Wasted Years - Vice 2014)
14. Chad Vangaalen - Leaning On Bells (Shrink Dust - Sub Pop 2014)
15. The Black Angels - The Flop (Clear Lake Forest EP - Blue Horizon Records 2014)
16. Kestrels - Wide Eyes (The Moon Is Shining Our Way EP - Noyes/Sonic Unyon 2014)
17. Ty Segall - Manipulator (Manipulator - Drag City 2014)
18. St. Vincent - Birth In Reverse (St. Vincent - Loma Vista/Republic Records 2014)
19. Iceage - Forever (Plowing Through The Field Of Love - Matador 2014)
20. Perfume Genius - Longpig (Too Bright - Matador 2014)
21. The Black Lips - Dorner Party (Underneath The Rainbow - Vice 2014)
22. White Fence - Anger! Who Keeps You Under (For The Recently Found Innocent - Drag City Records 2014)
23. Swans - A Little God in My Hands (To Be Kind - Young God/Mute Records 2014)
24. Sun Kil Moon - Pray for Newtown (Benji - Caldo Verde Records 2014)
25. Teenanger - Sky Saxon (E P L P - Telephone Explosion 2014)
26. Thee Oh Sees - Drop (Drop - Castle Face 2014)

To download this weeks program, visit CJAM's schedule page for Revolution Rock and download the file for December 27. Or subscribe to Revolution Rock as a Podcast.

For those keeping track, episode number 538 was a repeat of show number 531.  It can be downloaded here.

Black Lips Underneath The Rainbow & Show # 504

In April 2014, Black Lips released their seventh full-length album. Underneath The Rainbow followed their last album Arabia Mountain, the sixteen track Mick Ronson produced (for the most part) album that showed us Black Lips could have a higher fidelity produced LP and still keep their raunchy Garage “Flower Punk” sleaze. For this release Black Lips recorded with Patrick Carney drummer of The Black Keys and Tommy Brenneck of the Budos Band on a few tracks. The tracks on Underneath The Rainbow have a cleaner production style, but don’t let that fool you as it has for some reviewers, who have written Black Lips off as cleaning up their sound too much. For this release, Black Lips have pulled in some Country Rock and Southern influences in conjunction with the sound they have been known for.

“Drive By Buddy” begins Underneath The Rainbow with its Country/Garage twang and lyrics such as “Well brother what’s the matter/Do you hate the life you chose/Well I hope it doesn’t flatter/When you’re bathing with a hose” and “We’re hanging on a broken T-Bird hood” sung by guitarist Cole Alexander. It starts the album starts off with a sleazy vibe on all fronts setting the tone of the album, and also drawing some comparisons in some reviews to The Monkees’ “Last Train To Clarksville”. “Smiling” is a sloppy Psychedelic Garage track that recollects being thrown in jail, sung by bassist Jared Swilley based on a real life incident that occurred last year, “Make You Mine” is a catchy jangly Garage Pop track that wouldn’t have sounded out of place on 2011’s Arabia Mountain, while “Funny” brings 80s styled synthesizers into the Black Lips fuzzy Garage mix. “Dorner Party” is a fizzy Garage Punk track that is sung by drummer Joe Bradley and is followed by “Justice After All”, another fuzzed out song also sung by Bradley.  It is a more laid back Garage styled track, complete with fuzzed out guitar riffs and lyrics such as “What’s your name? Who you after? Where you gonna go?” and “We’ll take you name and get back to ya/Serve it up/Justice after all”, this song seemingly evokes a social commentary that has musically drawn comparisons to music from Neil Young.

Other highlights include “Boys In The Woods” that attacks with its Southern Blues/Soul drawl regaling us in a tale of drinking bathtub gin and causing mischief. “Waiting” echoes production techniques of The Black Keys, while “I Don’t Wanna Go Home” is a Jared Swilley sung track complete with guitar fuzz a la early 60s Rolling Stones. “Dandelion Dust” features a Blues raunchiness and “Dog Years” ends the album with an agitated weirdness, that comes off as natural within its Psych Garage dynamics. Overall, Underneath The Rainbow comes off with a production style not unlike 2007’s Good Bad Not Evil, but with more twang.

There is a brief moment in the music video that was created for the song “Justice After All” that perfectly describes what to expect from Black Lips on this album and more than likely in the future. In the video, we see shots of the band performing live and running down a street. At one point during the solo we see a shot of guitarist Ian Saint Pe playing a solo as another shot of guitarist Cole Alexander slides in and he pukes on the ground. This moment shows the listener and viewer that while they are trying new things, they are still the same band that we have all known. They may have branched out on Underneath The Rainbow, showcasing a slightly different spectrum of sound with Southern twang influences, but they are still the same Black Lips.

The Play List:

1. Outrageous Cherry - Sign Of The Times
2. The Spooky But Nice - Everytime
3. Guided By Voices - Writer’s Bloc (Psycho All The Time)
4. Bagg Team - Twentieth Century Dog Faced Boy
5. Condition - Wet Shoes
6. Beck - Country Down
7. Tire Swing Co - Pelee Island # 2
8. The Men - Different Days
9. Jacuzzi Boys - You Got It (Roy Orbison Cover)
10. The Rich Kids -Young Girls
11. Damaged Bug - Eggs At Night
12. Female Hands - No One Likes Me
13. The Painted Ship - Audience Reflections
14. Vaguess - Company Ink
15. Paul Jacobs - I Want More
16. The Bureaucrats - The Game
17. Lost Patrol - Grown Up Hard
18. The Professionals - Too Far Too Fall
19. The Drones - The Underdog
20. The Damned - I Feel Alright
21. Victim - Strange Thing By Night
22. Black Lips - Drive By Buddy
23. Black Lips - Dorner Party

To download this weeks program, visit CJAM's schedule page for Revolution Rock and download the file for April 15. Or subscribe to Revolution Rock as a Podcast.

Wire, Black Lips & Show # 491

Last week’s episode of Revolution Rock was a repeat. For those of you keeping count, each week the number increases on my post with each new episode of the program that airs. This week was the 491st episode of Revolution Rock, last week was a repeat of episode number 485 which had a feature on Windsor artist Paul Jacobs and was technically my 490th episode. Here is a video of Paul’s song "Sara’s Party" from his album Coffin Ride. You can see my play list and write on Paul Jacobs from that episode here.




Wire – 40 Versions (Rockpalast 1979)

“40 Versions” originally appeared on Wire’s 3rd full length album 154. The album was named after how many live shows that the band had played at that point. This video is from a live performance filmed for Rockpalast in 1979. It has been released officially and can be found on the release On The Box: Live 1979, it includes both a CD of audio and a DVD with video of this concert.



Black Lips – Boys In The Wood

Atlanta’s Black Lips are set to release their 7th studio album Underneath The Rainbow in March of 2014. The songs on the release are said to lean more towards a Roots Rock based sound, “Boys In The Wood” apparently being an ode to Lynyrd Skynrd and is about drinking bathtub gin and doing drugs. The band recently tweeted this about their new album "Just to clarify, our new album is not a country record, nor is it a southern rock album. It's elvis from the waist down."



The Play List:

1. Those Rogues – Wish I Could See You Again
2. Power Of Beckett – Lost Soul In Disillusion
3. Spiral Scratch – Still Rockin’
4. Lost Patrol – That’s Your Style (Early Version)
5. Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings – People Don't Get What They Deserve
6. The Twisters – 9 Times Out of 10
7. Johnny Burnett – Tear It Up
8. Big Star – The Ballad Of El Goodo
9. Johnny West – He Was Saved By Poultry From The Shadow Of Beef
10. Neil Young – Bad Fog of Loneliness (Live)
11. Dog Day – Joyride
12. Crystal Stilts – Nature Noir
13. Speed – She’s All There
14. Space Trees – I Need You
15. Dick Dale – Surfin’ Rebel
16. Tay Falco’s Panther Burns – Snatch It Back
17. Moods – Rum Drunk
18. In-Sect – Let This Be A Lesson
19. The Black Lips – Boys In The Wood
20. Alex Chilton – I Wish I Could Meet Elvis
21. Gang Of Four – In The Ditch
22. Hookworms - ii
23. Wire – 40 Versions
24. Buzzcocks – Breakdown (Live At Lesser Trade Free Hall – July 21, 1978)
25. Buzzcocks - What Do I Get (Live At Lesser Trade Free Hall – July 21, 1978)

To download this weeks program, visit CJAM's schedule page for Revolution Rock and download the file for January 14. Or subscribe to Revolution Rock as a Podcast.

2011 Highlights & Show # 384

The following is a collection of reviews of eleven of my favourite albums of 2011, a top 11 of 2011 if you will. I’d like to note that while these releases are technically my top 11 albums, all of the songs featuring on today’s program I enjoyed and encourage you to check them out (info can be found in the play list below).

1. The Black Lips – Arabia Mountain

Arabia Mountain features sixteen tracks, all of which sound fresh and exciting while at the same time staying true to the bands ethics. Working with producer Mark Ronson has helped Black Lips and their songs to reach their maximum potential. Lyrically the album features many songs that reflect a narrative based nature, sounding mature while at the same time keeping true to the unique tenacious style. Amongst the sixteen tracks found here you will find elements of Surf, 60s Garage, 70s Punk, and Psychedelic music. After six albums this album serves as a new starting point for the group, while fans often choose 2005’s Let It Bloom and 2007’s Good Bad Not Evil as the bands best work, Arabia Mountain serves as a new contender. The band has never sounded better on record and as a result, this may be not only one of the bands strongest produced efforts, but also one of their best albums so far.

To read more of my thoughts on this album visit http://revrock.blogspot.com/2011/06/new-direction-black-lips-arabia.html

2. Indian Wars – Walk Around The Park

Indian Wars are a band that comes from Vancouver, BC. Walk Around The Park was released in April 2011 and has an interesting array of influences. While the band is often labelled as a Garage Rock band, drawing comparisons from bands such as The Black Lips and King Khan & BBQ Show, they also have underlying Country Rock influences. They have been said to also be influenced by The Band, George Jones and Dead Ghosts (another Vancouver Garage Punk band). The combination proves for a an interesting blend of Garage Rock and Country with tracks such as “Old Hotel”, “20,000 Cans”, “Bullfrog”, “Won’t Do A Thing”, their influences are diverse and at times hybridic. Lyrically and musically the album conjures up images that are reminiscent of songs once heard by artists such as Johnny Cash, Neil Young, and Crosby, Stills and Nash with a dash of Garage Rock and Punk mentality for good measure, this certainly is one interesting walk around the park.

3. The Mark Inside – Nothing To Admit

In 2010, Toronto's Mark Inside released their False Flag EP, and in November of this year they released Nothing To Admit, their second full length album. In 2008, the band went to the UK and began work on Nothing To Admit, over the course of six weeks. The album was produced by Jim Abbiss, an acclaimed UK producer who has worked with artists such as Arctic Monkeys and Kasabian. Signing to Jim Abbiss' own Metalbox Recordings label (and Sony Music Canada in Canada), the False Flag EP followed in October of 2010. Nothing To Admit came out on November 1st, 2011 and adds to the EP expanding it adding more depth than on False Flag.

The album features great Post-Punk themed tracks “There Is Nothing To Admit”, “Lime Green Monkeys” and “Questions”, while at the same time dipping into Garage Rock on tracks such as “House of Cards”. “The Bottom Line” is a track that is worth the price of admission of the album alone, the song which has charted on the Canadian Alternative Rock charts at # 31, is a slower soulful track that is lyrically a different kind of working mans anthem one that addresses issues surrounding big corporations. “Shots From A Broken Bottle” a single released from the album is another track that makes this album not only unique, but great. It is a song that simmers with elements of Blues and builds to a soulful roar. The album ends with the bands usual live set closer “The Sky Is Falling Down”, the song captures the bands live energy, which is never short of explosive and it clocks in at over seven minutes. Nothing To Admit features a variety of influences from Garage Rock, Post-Punk, Blues and Alternative, it is the sound of a great Canadian live band coming into their own.

4. Papermaps – Papermaps

In April 2011, Papermaps released their first full length album, simply titled Papermaps. Like a paper map, the Papermaps album charts into new musical territory using Central Meaner Street as a starting point, the band has currently ventured into Power Pop influenced territory. Papermaps features ten well crafted Pop songs mixed in with other elements that gives you something that keeps you on your toes.

The albums opener “Angela” sets a tone for the overall album building as it progresses, it features predominately guitar/bass and drums. Near the end there is a splash of synthesizer which gives the listener a tasty bite of what’s to come. The second song featured on the album is the piano driven sing-a-long “Reunion”, which has done very well on Independent campus radio based charts, the third song on the album is the guitar driven and energetic “Can’t Make A Living” which moves the listener along the albums ten track course. “Complicate Things” is a moody yet synthesized anthemic Dance Rock track, while “Exit” is one the heaviest tracks on the album. “Coddled” is a song that starts off like a solo John Lennon outtake, reminiscent of a lullaby before it picks up in to all its loud glory, “You Are My Gallows” ends the album with a call and response dynamacism. Papermaps blurs the lines of their musical territories for a sound that is all their own. A second full length album is due to be released in the fall of 2012.

I did an interview with Dean of Papermaps in November just before a show they played in Windsor, it can be heard here:



5. Sloan – The Double Cross

This May Sloan released their 10th full length album The Double Cross, which also marked their 20th anniversary as a band. The album features twelve new tracks building on their addictive Pop Power formula. The Double Cross starts off with "Follow The Leader" a song penned by bassist Chris Murphy, the drum and tambourine heavy Rock song has a seventies flavour. The song segue ways into "The Answer Was You" which is a Pop song written by Jay Fergusson, it sounds as if it would have fit perfectly on their 1996 release One Chord To Another. The album also features "She's Slowing Down Again" a song by drummer Andrew Scott, which sounds like it could have been from the 1998 album Navy Blues. According to Scott, the song has been around for a while. Other interesting tracks include "Unkind", a Patrick Pentland number, which is the first single for the album and "It's Plain To See", which is yet another high energy Pentalnd song. In addition to these, other tracks of note include "Shadow of Love" a song in a similar vein as “G Turns to D”, the acoustic Pop of "Green Gardens, Cold Montreal", "Beverly Terrace", and "I've Gotta Know". There is also the song "Traces", a song written by Andrew Scott that features bassist Chris Murphy on drums. The Double Cross which in Roman numerals is XX means twenty, has many songs that fans can identify with and love, but at the same time it also has a fresh sound and feel to it. Sloan has now been around for twenty years and with yet another album and tour underway, they show no sign of stopping anytime soon.

In May I Interviewed Sloan's Chris Murphy live on my program, it can be heard here:











6. Brazilian Money – This Is Not A Dream

This album kind of came out of nowhere this year. Brazilian Money are based out of Edmonton, Alberta and are essentially just one person Garrett Johnson. This Is Not A Dream is filled with catchy sometimes weird junkyard gems, displaying elements of Garage Rock and Lo-Fi music such as Pavement at times. Brazilian Money has garnered other comparisons to bands such as Brian Jonestown Massacre and The Dandy Warhols and are labelled as experimental when loading their music in itunes, but they are difficult to pin down. This album has great tracks such as "Give Up That Dog", "Then You'll Know", "Party Till I'm Dead", and the gritty "Nobody's Coming". An EP also followed this year titled Jive With The Killer Instinct that is six tracks long, it is essential if you liked This Is Not A Dream. Check them out for yourselves at http://brazilianmoney.bandcamp.com

7. The Strokes – Angles

Is This It? with songs from their second album Room On Fire. The song could be described as “Last Nite” meets “Reptilia”. It is a strong song found on the album, which shows off many different colours, sometimes leaning in the experimental electronic sounding direction. As a whole, Angles is heavily rooted in the 80s, the first track “Machu Picchu” is a song that was originally conceived by guitarist Nick Valensi and has a Reggae flavour in the verses with Rock sounding choruses, sounding fresh and retro at the same time. The first line “I’m putting your patience to the test” is a declaration of what is to come musically, the songs are at times familiar sounding, at other times different leaning either in an 80s influenced or electronic influenced direction.

Many critics hailed this album as a return to form when The Strokes released their first single from the album “Undercover of Darkness”. While the song is a return to form of sorts, it sounds as if it combines elements from the bands first album Critics have also been fast to attack the album, but it has many strong moments. “Two Kinds of Happiness”, another Valensi original sounds like an 80s song from Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers, exemplifying The Strokes slower, but catchy groove, while “Taken For A Fool” sounds like an outtake from The Strokes Room On Fire album, “Gratisfaction” is a guitar heavy track, sounding like classic Strokes, but at the same time sounding like a song that could have been on their last studio effort First Impressions of Earth, “Life Is Simple In The Moonlight” ends the album and ties up all the loose ends. It is an encompassing, catchy track with lingering synthesizers, dual guitar lines, and lyrics from Casablancas stating “Don’t try to stop us, get out of the way” that brings the album musically and lyrically full circle. The Strokes have returned with Angles an album of many eclectic shades and colours, but also one with elements that fans have come to identify and love. To read more of my thoughts on Angles visit http://revrock.blogspot.com/2011/03/strokes-angled-show-345.html

8. The Pack AD – Upersons


In September 2011, The Pack A.D released Unpersons. This album further displays the bands evolving sound and adds different elements into the mix. Unpersons elevates the Pack A.D’s sound making them sound bigger most likely due to Detroit producer Jim Diamond, who adds edge to the bands sound. On this album the band truly have evolved at a sound that is both different and as fascinating as their past. The albums title originates from the novel 1984, which is a form of “newspeak” meaning someone who has been stripped of rights, identity or humanity. While The Pack A.D have not been stripped of their musical identity, they do venture into new and different music territory and lyrically the songs reflect a dystopian view and plays into the titles meaning. Unpersons finds the band exploring the very elements of their sound, reconstructing themselves with their brand of raw Blues, Garage and Punk which has made them a Mint Records artist to watch.

9. The Horrors – Skying

On The Horrors 2009 full length released Primary Colours they took their Garage/Punk influenced sound into a Post Punk direction and on Skying they advance their sound into yet another direction. Combining elements of Post Punk stylings with elements of Shoe Gaze, this album shows the band coming into their own. Recorded at their own studio in the UK, songs such as “Still Life” which has drawn comparisons to Simple Minds, “I Can See Through You” features over driven guitars, and “Monica Gems” to name a few that add to this albums aura. Skying shows The Horrors building on the atmospheric and Jesus and The Mary Chain influenced sounds that first appeared on 2009’s Primary Colours while at the same time re-focusing themselves musically into a clearer stronger image.

10. Deer Tick – Divine Providence

The fourth full length release from Rhode Islands Deer Tick bites down hard and adheres to their rowdy, beer drinking image. This album shows a band embracing their roots and having a good time doing it. While there are still elements of Country and Folk which the band are known for having, the band is also much heavier, in a good way. The albums feel and themes are set forth by the lyrics to the first track on Divine Providence “The Bump”, in which singer John McCauley says “we’re full grown men, but we act like kids”. The strongest track on Divine Providence has to be the song “Main Street” in which the band flexes their Rolling Stones influences musically and lyrically.




11. Thee Oh Sees – Carrion Crawler/The Dream EP

This album snuck in just before the end of the year. Thee Oh Sees already released an album in 2011 titled Castlemania, which was also great, but Carrion Crawler/The Dream is a tighter more cohesive sounding release. Thee Oh Sees have been releasing music for years and are known for being quite prolific, two albums in one year even without prior knowledge of the band hints at that. The band started as a vehicle for John Dwyer, who is the driving force behind this band, they were started by Dwyer in order to release instrumental and experimental home based recordings, but it evolved into something else in the process. Dwyer himself has been part of numerous bands (Coachwhips, Pink and Brown, Burmese, The Hospitals to name a few), and this version of Thee Oh Sees on Carrion Crawler/The Dream is perhaps Thee Oh Sees at their best.

As for the rest of my picks, check out my play list below it can also be downloaded as it is a radio show. There are a few other albums that deserve a mention and although they didn't make my list they would have if time permitted. The other albums I’d like to mention are John Doe - Keeper and Tom Waits – Bad As Me.

2011 Play List:

1. The Black Keys – Gold On The Ceiling (El Camino, Nonesuch 2011)
2. Beastie Boys - Lee Majors Come Again (Hot Sauce Committee Part Two, Capitol 2011)
3. Johnny West – Purgatory Waltz (Medium-Fi Music For Mentally Unstable Young Lovers, Tosteestostas Music 2011)
4. Ty Segall - Booksmarts (Singles 2007-2010, Goner Records 2011)
5. Chang-A-Lang – Monday Again (No Clean Rock and Roll, Self Released 2011)
6. Wire – Clay (Red Barked Tree, Pink Flag 2011)
7. The Rapture – Miss You (In The Grace Of Your Love, Red General Catalog 2011)
8. Reigning Sound – Lyin’ Girl (Abdication...For Your Love, Scion AV 2011)
9. Ry Cooder – Lord Tell Me Why (Pull Up Some Dust And Sit Down, Nonesuch 2011)
10. Dum Dum Girls – Just A Creep (Only In Dreams, Sub Pop 2011)
11. Luger Boa – Lazy (New Hot Nights, Stuka Records 2011)
12. The Polymorphines – Anna Lee (The Slip EP, Self Released 2011)
13. Thee Oh Sees – Chem-Farmer (Carrion Crawler/The Dream, In The Red 2011)
14. Deer Tick – The Bump (Divine Providence, Partisan Records 2011)
15. The Horrors – Wild Eyed (Skying, XL Recordings Ltd. 2011)
16. The Pack A.D. – Sirens (Unpersons, Mint 2011)
17. The Strokes – Gratisfaction (Angles, RCA Records 2011)
18. Brazilian Money – Then You’ll Know (This Is Not A Dream, Self Released 2011)
19. Sloan – Shadow of Love (The Double Cross, Yep Roc Records 2011)
20. Papermaps – Complicate Things (Papermaps, EMI Music Canada 2011)
21. The Mark Inside – House of Cards (Nothing To Admit, Metal Box Recordings/Sony Music Canada 2011)
22. Indian Wars – Bullfrog (Walk Around The Park, Bachelor Records 2011)
23. The Black Lips – Modern Art (Arabia Mountain, Vice Records 2011)
24. The Black Lips - Raw Meat (Arabia Mountain, Vice Records 2011)

To download this weeks program, visit CJAM's schedule page for Revolution Rock and download the file for December 27. Or subscribe to Revolution Rock as a Podcast.

New Direction ... Black Lips Arabia Mountain & Show # 356

On June 7th, Atlanta’s Black Lips released Arabia Mountain, an album that took over a year in the making and an album that marked the first time that they worked with an outside producer (Mark Ronson). But before you scream sell out, there are a few things that you should know. The band actually worked with two producers, Mark Ronson, who has been responsible for working with artists such as Amy Winehouse, Lilly Allen, and Duran Duran for the majority of the album and Lockett Pundt (of Deer Hunter) for two songs (“Bicentennial Man” and “Go Out And Get It!”). In addition to this, Black Lips have used a lot of different types of instruments to add to the songs structures such as Saxophone, Theremin, Muscle Saws, and a human skull which was used as an echo chamber. Guitarist Cole Alexander described the use of the human skull in terms of recording in an interview with SPIN Magazine in August 2010:

“Yeah. I'd been searching for a human skull and I found one in New York City. We used it as an echo chamber. One of our favorite bands, the 13th Floor Elevators, had a jug player who would makes noises into a jug and it would reverberate. So we used the skull the same way. When music reverberates in your head it has a certain sound based on the geometry of your head. So this resembles the echo you would hear in your head at a live concert. Also, if you believe in spirituality, it's cool with the trippy spiritual implications of the sound going through this particular person's skull. It's also straight up creepy. The eyes and the nose created a problem during recording because the sound escapes there. But I'd just put my hand over the nose and eyes -- problem solved. “

“Family Tree” opens up the album with a raw Sonics/Stooges swoon, infectious beats and aggressive vocals. “Modern Art” is a 60s Garage Rock styled number that lyrically was based on a true experience of tripping out at the Salvador Dali Museum in Spain. The humorous lyrics reflect the fact that they were tripping out on Ketamine at a surreal Art museum, feeling normal as a result. “Spidey’s Curse” is a 60’s Pop song that tells the story of Peter Parker being subjected to the sickness of society during his childhood. Songs such as the extremely catchy Garage Surf mix of “Bicentennial Man”, the Pop of “Go Out and Get It!”, and the 70’s Punk Stylings of “Raw Meat” all contribute to Arabia Mountain’s cause. Lyrically and musically Black Lips are un-relentless, keeping true to their gritty and at times strange lyrics which has never been more evident on songs such as “Raw Meat” a song about food poisoning, “Dumpster Dive” a song with splashes of Exile On Main Street era Rolling Stones, the sleazy fuzzed out “Noc-A-Homa” a song about the former Atlanta Braves Mascot Chief Noc’A’Homa. “Mad Dog” deals with subliminal messages that can be found in songs by Judas Priest and The Beatles, musically it features sleazy horn sections and Surf/Garage Rock riffs, while “Time”, the only song featured on the album written by guitarist Ian St. Pe, is Pop flavoured track with Surf guitar licks, “New Direction” is a positive song with 70s Punk sensibilities, “Don’t Mess Up My Baby” a song that at times seems to have Garaged up Bo Diddley like rhythms and Beach Boys styled vocals in the verses, and finally “You Keep On Running” is a slow Psychedelic track that ends Arabia Mountain on an eerie note.

Arabia Mountain features sixteen tracks, all of which sound fresh and exciting while at the same time staying true to the bands ethics. Working with Ronson helped Black Lips and their songs to reach their maximum potential. Lyrically the album features many songs that reflect a narrative based nature, sounding mature while at the same time keeping true to the unique tenacious style. Amongst the sixteen tracks found here you will find elements of Surf, 60s Garage, 70s Punk, and Psychedellic music. After six albums this album serves as a new starting point for the group, while fans often choose 2005’s Let It Bloom and 2007’s Good Bad Not Evil as the bands best work, Arabia Mountain serves as a new contender. The band has never sounded better on record and as a result, this may be not only one of the bands strongest produced efforts, but also one of their best albums so far.

This Week's Play List:

1. Sex Pistols - Satellite
2. Reatards - C'Mon Over
3. Lost Patrol - Grown Up Hard
4. Fatal K.O. - Inside Scene
5. E.B.S. - Glass Slippers
6. Ugly Motels - Not For Me
7. Disband - One Man Army
8. Thurston Moore - Bennediction
9. The Soles - Illusion
10. Mazes - Summer Hits
11. Crocodiles - Refuse Angels
12. Captain Sensible - Wot
13. Dee Dee King - Funky Man
14. What Seas What Shores - Pave The Oceans
15. Franz Ferdinand - What You Meant
16. Rich Kids - Ghosts of Princes In Towers
17. Wreckless Eric - Out Of The Blue
18. The Jam - Going Underground
19. Joel Plaskett - Radio Fly
20. Johnny West - Spider Ventriloquist
21. King Khan & BBQ Show - Animal Party
22. 49th Parallel - Missouri
23. Black Lips - Bicentennial Man
24. Black Lips - Family Tree

To download this weeks program, visit CJAM's schedule page for Revolution Rock and download the file for June 14. Or subscribe to Revolution Rock as a Podcast.

Modern Art...The Black Lips & Show # 348

Atlanta Garage Rock band The Black Lips will release their sixth full length album Arabia Mountain on June 7th via Vice Records. The band who describes their music as “Flower Punk” worked on this record with producer Mark Ronson of Duran Duran, Amy Winehouse, Lilly Allen, and The Kaiser Chiefs producing fame, making it the first time the band has used an outside producer. A large majority of the albums tracks were reportedly recorded in a ten day session, two tracks were also produced by Lockett Pundt of Deerhunter. This highly anticipated album has already had two singles released in preparation for the albums unveiling “Go Out and Get It”, a Pundt produced track is a song portraying the bands Pop style similar to the Good Bad Not Evil album cut “Bad Kids”, while “Modern Art” produced by Ronson, is The Black Lips at their dirty nugget styled Garage Rock finest, complete with a theremin. Two videos for these songs have been made available online, a tour is currently in progress to road test the material.





Todays show was also co-hosted with Derk of CJAM's The Surfphony of Derstruction. His last show will air tonight at 7 PM on CJAM 99.1 FM and can also be streamed at http://www.cjam.ca/

This Weeks Play List:

1. Bell - Hang Around
2. Sonic's Rendezvous Band - Electrophonic Tonic
3. Northern Primitive - One Click
4. The Bedwells - Karate Again
5. 63 Monroe - Side B 5
6. The Tranzmitors - Beating Up My Heart
7. Talking Heads - Cities
8. Ian North - Hollywood Babylon
9. Fast Romantics - Pretty Strangers
10. Twin Library - Beware of Bees
11. Johnny West - Blue Cheese Necklace
12. The Stranglers - Hanging Around
13. The Monks - Dear Jerry
14. The Sounds - Something To Die For
15. The Surfdusters - El Dementia
16. The Clash - Fujiyama Mama (Live Tokyo 1982 with Pearl Harbor)
17. The Dirtbombs - Cedar Point '76
18. The Psychotic Turnbuckles - Cool It Baby
19. Tommy Blake - F-Olding Money
20. Young Rival - At The Break of Dawn
21. The Rays - Elevator Operator
22. Nirvana - Turnaround
23. Tijuana Bibles - Reverse Psychology
24. The Diodes - Red Rubber Ball
25. The Cramps - Green Fuzz
26. The Black Lips - Modern Art

To download this weeks program, visit CJAM's schedule page for Revolution Rock and download the file for April 19. Or subscribe to Revolution Rock as a Podcast.

2009 Highlights...Show # 281

Today's program was composed entirely of albums that were released in the year 2009. The last nine songs on the show constituted my favourite nine releases from 2009. While re-issues were included in the list (The Beatles Remasters, Nirvana's Bleach 20th Anniversary Edition, and The Vaselines - Enter The Vaselines), I did not count them in the top nine list, due to the fact that they have already been released prior to 2009. The following are my favourite nine releases from the year 2009:

1.  The Black Lips - 200 Million Thousand

200 Million Thousand was the follow up to 2007's Good Bad Not Evil. This album differed from their 2007 release, instead of continuing with a similar sound the band went for a dirtier and darker Garage/Psychedelic sound. While the album does feature many great Pop moments ("Short Fuse","Drugs", Just Like Staring Over", and "I'll Be With You" ), the album has more of sleaze element than their previous album (Good Bad Not Evil). The 14 track album even features a Rap song "The Drop I Hold" and a cover of The Iguana's (Iggy Pop's first band) "Again & Again", that is mixed in with The Black Lips unique blend of fuzzy Atlanta, Georgia Garage Rock.


2.  Sloan - Hit & Run EP

Released fairly close to the end of 2009, this five track EP was released in digital form only. Of the five songs featured here two are from Bassist Chris Murphy ("Take It Upon Yourself", "Oh Dear Diary"), and one each from the other Sloan band members "Midnight Mass" (Jay Ferguson), "It Is Never" (Patrick Pentland), and "Where Are You Now?" (Andrew Scott). Overall the EP is a mix of Pop, 70's and 60's Rock, and is a great example of Sloan's excellent musical output of the last few years. A must for any Sloan fan and essential for anyone looking for a great underrated Canadian band.



3.  Julian Casablancas - Phrazes For The Young. 

This was the first full length solo release from Strokes frontman Julian Casablancas. The album is comprised of eight songs, all of which reflect a love for the 80's. While there are only eight tracks here, it still features some great enjoyable tracks that stand out on their own such as "Out of the Blue", "River of Brakelights", and "11th Dimension". This track seems like a nod to the New Wave influences employed on The Strokes album Room On Fire. The albums title Phrazes for the Young, is referencing Oscar Wilde's Phrases and Philosophies for the Use of the Young.



4.  Pearl Jam - Backspacer


Backspacer is Pearl Jam's follow up to 2006's Pearl Jam. The songs on this album reflect more of a Pop and New Wave nature, the album was also produced by Brendan O'Brien (he hasn't worked with the band since 1998's Yield). Recorded at a variety of places in the US, Backspacer is said to be the bands most rehearsed record and the one with the most positive lyrics from front man Eddie Vedder. The album was released on the bands own Monkeywrench label and through Universal Music Group internationally. Cover art for the album was designed by editorial cartoonist Tom Tomorrow (real name Dan Perkins) and it features nine images created by Perkins. 


5.  The Almighty Defenders - The Almighty Defenders


Released in September 2009, The Almighty Defenders is a group made up of two bands King Khan & BBQ Show and The Black Lips. This 11 track album was recorded in Berlin (where King Khan was living) after The Black Lips had to cancel their tour of India following an incident on stage. In eight days, this new supergroup laid down the eleven tracks, it was released on Vice Records. The music on this album can be described as Gospel influenced Garage Rock.





6.  King Khan & BBQ Show - Invisible Girl

Released in November of 2009, Invisible Girl is yet another R &B and Garage Rock album, on my list, this one comes from King Khan & BBQ Show. While this duo (Originally from Montreal) has released several albums, this album is the bands third full length.  Elements of Sam Cooke, The Sonics, Chuck Berry, good old fashioned R & B, (not the new overproduced kind) and trashy elements of 60's Garage are all over this record.  





7.  The Dead Weather - Horehound 

In 2009, a band popped up featuring Jack White and Alison Mosshart of the Kills. The band consists of Jack White (drums/vocals/guitar), Alison Mosshart (lead vocals/guitar), Dean Fertita (guitar/organ/piano), and Jack Lawrence on bass. The group formed in January 2009, from a Jam session at Jack White's Third Man Studios in Nashville, Tennessee. Following the session, the band began writing material and recorded quickly. Horehound was released in July of 2009, and did very well on the charts. The band was said to have been halfway done their second album in October of 2009.



8.  War Child: Heroes Compilation

This album is comprised of 15 bands doing cover songs. It features artists such as Beck (covering Bob Dylan), Yeah Yeah Yeah's (covering Ramones), The Kooks (covering The Kinks), and Franz Ferdinand (covering Blondie). The album also features a cover of "Straight To Hell" by Lilly Allen featuring Mick Jones of The Clash. Another interesting fact is that each song that was to be covered was selected by the original artist themselves. Artwork for the album was done by John Squire, former Stone Roses guitarist. For more information visit the Warchild Homepage. 



9.  Franz Ferdinand - Tonight

Produced by Dan Carey, Tonight draws on the bands earlier sound, bringing in elements of electronica, dub/reggae, 80's synthesizer music. The album is based around the concept of a night out partying and the morning after. The album cover photos (taken by Søren Solkær Starbird in Glasgow) have the look and feel of Berlin-era David Bowie. The album was well received and released by Domino Records in January of 2009, a bonus disc of Dub remixes was released in June of 2009 titled Blood.




Other interesting releases from 2009 were The Beatles re-issues.  This is an obvious choice, but these re-issues have been a long time coming.  The design and packaging are of excellent quality, and I highly recommend any of these albums.  The Vaselines - Enter The Vaselines, is an excellent collection of all the material that The Vaselines have put out, it is complete with demos, live material and studio recordings.  Rhino released the Where the Action Is box set.  This four CD collection features 100 songs from the Los Angeles area from the time period of 1965-1968, this is yet another great addition to the Nuggets series.  As far as new releases go, The Crocodiles released an eight track album titled Summer of Hate that seems very new wave influenced, and The Howlies released a great 60's Garage influenced album called Trippin' With The Howlies. 

Best of 2009 Play List:

1. Portugual. The Man - Everyone is Golden
2. John Doe & The Sadies - Stop the World and Let Me Off
3. Spiral Beach - Domino
4. The Vaselines - Dum Dum
5. Arctic Monkeys - My Propeller
6. Nirvana - About A Girl (Live Pinestreet Theatre 1990)
7. The Beatles - Think For Yourself
8. The Mustangs - That's For Sure
9. Neil Young - Everybody Knows This is Nowhere (45 Version)
10. Ex-Boyfriends - Born To Be Kicked Out
11. Yellow Wood - Chinese Women Unite!
12. The Crocodiles - Refuse Angels
13. The Horrors - I Can't Control Myself
14. Franz Ferdinand - Send Him Away
15. The Howlies - Sea Level
16. Beck - Leopard Skin Pill Box Hat
17. Dead Weather - 60 Feet Tall
18. King Khan & BBQ Show - Zombies!
19. Almighty Defenders - I'm Coming Home
20. Pearl Jam - Got Some 
21. Julian Casablancas - Out of the Blue 
22. Sloan - Where Are You Now?
23. Black Lips - Short Fuse

To download this weeks program, visit CJAM's schedule page for Revolution Rock and download the file for January 5th. Or subscribe to Revolution Rock as a Podcast.