Black Lips - Underneath The Rainbow (Album Review)
Wednesday, 19 March 2014
Written by Heather McDaid
Seven albums in isn't really the time to start orchestrating a grand departure from an established sound. Black Lips have built a fanbase over the years thanks to the fact that their old school garage-punk sound provides a refreshing change to the gloss of the modern day, and 'Underneath the Rainbow' is no different.
Though bassist Jared Swilley recently described the album as "the Fonz fucking a monkey while riding a motorcycle into the sun" in a conversation with NME, it never hits such psychedelic heights. The first half of the record, in fact, is packed with old-fashioned ditties that rumble along without any real spark.
The second half of the album, though, lacks no such excitement. Boys In The Wood initially appears lethargic, but is in fact brimming with a moody energy and a brilliant, bluesy drawl of a vocal. Waiting picks up the pace with a classic, clean rock sound, and Do The Vibrate simply breezes by, on the back of a prominent bassline. By the time the jolly whistles of I Don't Wanna Go Home set in, it's difficult to remember this is the same record you were spinning just a few minutes ago.
The disparity in quality between the record’s halves is as clear as night and day. The latter portion of ‘Underneath the Rainbow’ shows the quality of the band when they shake it up just a little. These songs aren't exactly groundbreaking, but they have got that quintessential Black Lips flair. Sometimes that’s good enough.
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Though bassist Jared Swilley recently described the album as "the Fonz fucking a monkey while riding a motorcycle 
