Black Lips : I’ll Be With You
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Black Lips’ latest single from their new album, 200 Million Thousand, could be viewed as a watered down rehash of ‘Dirty Hands’ from Let It Bloom (2005), both songs owing heavily to Buddy Holly’s, ‘Love is Strange’ which was popularized in Martin Scorsese’s Casino.
The single may be interpreted as a homage to the genre - fair enough. Perhaps it is a more self-conscious parody of the ‘sappiness’ of such songs and if so, that’s good too. However, whichever way you look at it, Jared Swilley’s whiney vocals sound like they were recorded in a well.
Lyrically the single is touching, written for Jared’s ill friend and collaborator in The Gaye Blades, Bobby Ubangi (mentioned in ‘Dirty Hands’), in the most heartfelt pared down terms: ‘You’re my friend/we’ll stick together ‘til the end/What else is there for a buddy to do, but stick around with you?’
This sentimentality marks a departure from the raw energy espoused in Black Lips’ previous 7”, ‘Short Fuse’, and although I don’t doubt the sincerity of the message, the band are at their best when showcasing their personalized brand of psychedelic ‘flower punk’, which is thankfully abundant throughout the new album.
Words: Alex Steingold
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