Underneath the Rainbow

Audio Mixers: Jimmy Douglass; Beau Vallis.
Recording information: Blackbird Studios (2013); Dunham Studios, Brooklyn, NY (2013); Haptown Studios, Nashville, TN (2013); Living Room Studios, Atlanta, GA (2013).
After working with Mark Ronson on their previous album, Arabia Mountain, and successfully replacing the raunchy G-punk noise they were known for with a punchier, more accessible approach, the Black Lips turned to producers Patrick Carney of the Black Keys and Dap-Kings member Tommy Brenneck to helm their 2014 record, Underneath the Rainbow. Not surprisingly, the record marks another giant step toward respectability, with the rest of the gunk stripped away in the name of fidelity. The songs that work the best are those that let some weirdness creep in organically, like on rambling psych rocker "Dog Years," or those that ramp up the energy to levels one might have found on earlier albums. Check "Dorner Party" or the rip-roaring "I Don't Wanna Go Home" for good examples of tracks that have some verve. The rest of the album is filled with good-time rockers and bloozy excursions into Southern rock. ~ Tim Sendra