Black Lips

Live albums can seem redundant and in the case of high-energy bands like the Black Lips they can be downright annoying — if the live show is so wild, why would you want to listen to it in your living room? While Los Valientes del Mundo Nuevo isn’t one to choose over the Black Lips’ studio albums, it was recorded under the best possible circumstances: live in Tijuana (a locale with plenty of "wild” connotations) by John Reis (Rocket From the Crypt, Drive Like Jehu, Hot Snakes). While non-studio albums are often mere cash grabs or public reminders of a band’s existence, the Black Lips released their last album in late 2005 and so they get a pass. The album flawlessly mixes the band’s playful garage songs ("MIA,” "Dirty Hands”) with their (comparatively) darker, more psychedelic output ("Hippie, Hippie, Hoorah,” "Sea of Blasphemy”). Though the latter category might be better suited for the studio, this recording proves that the band can sound "deep” even without the aid of production tricks. They sound tight (well, as tight as you would want them to sound) and it definitely seems like they’re having a lot of fun (especially on the aforementioned "Dirty Hands,” which is just silly enough to be totally endearing). Still, it would have been nice to be there, and since nobody in the band is dead yet you might want to save your money for a concert ticket.