SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: BLACK LIPS – BEBOP ARMAGEDDON (DETOURS & OFFCUTS FROM SEASON OF THE PEACH)

BLACK LIPS
BEBOP ARMAGEDDON (DETOURS & OFFCUTS FROM SEASON OF THE PEACH)
FIRE RECORDS

Black Lips are one of those bands where the distance between a finished song and a demo can be surprisingly small. Bebop Armageddon makes a record out of that gap. Its 15 tracks come from the Season of the Peach sessions, but listening to them rarely feels like sorting through leftovers. Some sound ready to stand on their own; others are valuable because the process is still audible, and that difference gives the album its shape.

“Kingdom Come” is an obvious high point. It has the immediate pull of garage rock, but the guitars and organ keep it from settling into something too neat. “The One” is shorter, stranger, and leans into country without turning it into a joke. “Colt 44 (featuring King Khan)”, and “Back To Kiev” push harder and darker, while “Bound For Rodeo” sits somewhere between the band’s garage, psych, and country instincts. The album moves around a lot, but not randomly. Even when the style shifts, it still sounds unmistakably like Black Lips.

I like the record most when a finished song sits next to a rougher version and changes what I hear in both. “Gunnin’” is the clearest example. The later instrumental demo pulls the organ, percussion, and acoustic guitars forward without making the first version feel unnecessary. “Zulu Saints (Demo)” and “Kassandra (Alternate mix)” do something similar: they are not automatically better because they are different, but they make the process audible. “Judas Pig (Demo)” stretches past five minutes, while “The Illusion Pt. 1 (Dream mix)” ends the record in a hazier, shorter form rather than forcing a grand finale.

Nearly 43 minutes is still a lot for a collection like this. A few alternate versions are more interesting to inspect than to replay, and at times the record reminds you why some material lives outside the main album. I do not think that is a problem. Black Lips have always left enough room in their garage rock for psych, country, and rock ‘n’ roll to get in each other’s way, and Bebop Armageddon benefits from the same lack of tidiness. It is not the Black Lips record I would hand to someone first, but it does not feel like a release made only for completists either. Overall, it is a strong companion to Season of the Peach, with enough good songs and strange turns to stand on its own.

Artist Links