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Jun 6, 2011The timing for a change was right, too, as their 2009 record 200 Million Thousand wasn't one of their best, it was OK but seemed a little forced and uninspired. Arabia Mountain is the absolute opposite and could be their best album yet.
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Nov 3, 2011Ronson reins in the raucousness without curbing the catharsis--on 16 tracks that blast newly crisp but equally irreverent.
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Jun 15, 2011The band either demonstrates a glorious and steadfast refusal to grow up, or become possessed by yelps that no amount of Auto-Tune could ever fix.
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Jun 10, 2011Arabia Mountain is energetic, fun, loose, and immediate. Everything the Black Lips should be.
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Jun 30, 2011The nine tracks Ronson produced on Arabia Mountain (Deerhunter's Lockett Pundt helmed two; Black Lips produced five) show he's equally adept at plundering the garage, psych and punk treasure troves.
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Jun 6, 2011The disc is a blueprint of how to polish without compromise.
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Jun 10, 2011Production is loud and punchy and even the quiet bits aren't quiet, which makes all sixteen tracks in one sitting a bit like hard work.
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Jun 6, 2011Black Lips puts on a hell of a show on Arabia Mountain, and it doesn't even need riots and stage diving to keep you interested.
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Jun 7, 2011Awash in trippy reverb and surf-rock riffs, Arabia Mountain is further proof that the Lips have matured.
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Jun 7, 2011The Lips' catalog is exhaustingly long, but Arabia Mountain is a fine reassertion that its talents extend far beyond running from venue security.
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MojoDec 12, 2011Wild abandon never sounded so inviting. [Aug. 2011, p. 104]
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Jul 28, 2011Consistent, yes, but also vaguely disappointing, the band may be at the peak of their powers but it's almost a shame to see all the mystery drained away.
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Jun 3, 2011Though by no means a disaster, they needed to hit back, and Arabia Mountain doesn't disappoint.
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Jun 14, 2011They haven't changed their sound much, but more of the same is hardly a problem when it's this enjoyable.
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Jun 6, 2011There are some great garage rock tunes, but too much filler to make for a great album. Maybe they should have trimmed a few of the 16 songs for a shorter but stronger work.
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Jun 6, 2011It's Ronson's dash of throwback style topped with the band's signature wild-child tendencies that make this album an impeccable partnership. It's so perfect of a fit, in fact, that Arabia Mountain not only emerges as the Lips' best-sounding record, but arguably their finest album to date.
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Jun 13, 2011Arabia Mountain may be poised to push this band further over-ground, but they're not going up without a fight.
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Jul 8, 2011From backmasking to know-it-all moralists, Arabia Mountain is sprinkled with themes of human folly, aging, change, and corruption, enacted with humorous efficiency, delivered with instrumental-new word-subtlety, all to show, unsurprisingly, that the Black Lips differ greatly with the PTA over the corrupting agents of everyday life and their antidotes.
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Jun 6, 2011Mountain finds the band taking several huge leaps toward that end, resulting in a more cohesive picture of their sound and a band beating down a clear path for where they'd like to take their music.
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Q MagazineJun 3, 2011Ultimately, the accord reached between Mark Ronson and the quartet is that there's nothing wrong with the Black Lips formula; merely that their exuberance sometimes needs a calming hand on the shoulder. [July 2011, p. 115]
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Jun 6, 2011While like-minded bands fumble around with weighty concepts and overlong arrangements, the Black Lips remain purveyors of instant, unpretentious gratification.
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Jun 3, 2011In the hands of dapper producer Mark Ronson, the glibly sloppy, lo-fi brats are almost sculpted into garage-punk sophistication, adding extended psychedelic guitar lines, fleshed-out percussion, even retro-soul sax.
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Jun 2, 2011There are four near-perfect EPs here, but it's a haul to listen to in one sitting. That's the insoluble conundrum of garage rock: the most perpetually exciting sound in rock easily outstays its welcome.
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UncutJul 19, 2011Their sixth sees Mark Ronson step in as producer on all but two tracks, and although he;s resisted the temptation to slather on Stax horns and apply his slick finish, he's given this tough, roughly energetic band focus and finesse. [Aug 2011, p.79]
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Under The RadarJun 6, 2011Black Lips may be leaving behind a certain amount of dirt and grime with Arabia Mountain, but are gloriously able to pull off their punky hi-jinks with aplomb. [May 2011, p.76]
User score distribution:
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Positive: 13 out of 15
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Mixed: 2 out of 15
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Negative: 0 out of 15
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Sep 19, 2012
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Jul 10, 2011
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Jun 20, 2011