INTERVIEW WITH VOCALIST AND GUITARIST COLE ALEXANDER BY JOHN SILVA
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n the past 20 years, Black Lips have become one of the most notorious “I think we really had to step up the bands of the garage rock scene. lyrics a little bit,â€? Alexander says. “The Known for outlandish onstage antics way the music is sometimes, like, if the accompanying their wild rock ’n’ roll lyrics aren’t very good, it kinda falls songs, the Georgia-based group grew flat. So, I felt like we couldn’t half-ass a bigger and bigger following even the lyrics as much as we’d done in the amidst various lineup changes and past. On some of the garage rock stuff, some setbacks, including the tragic you can just kind of mumble, and you death of guitarist Ben Eberbaugh in get the feeling across. But, when you 2002. The band just put out their ninth have strong lyrics in country, it really album, The Black Lips Sing‌In A World drives it home, and people allow the That’s Falling Apart, released on Jan- music to reach a deeper place within uary 24, 2020 on Vice Records, and them.â€? while it still sounds undeniably like Black Lips, this record is a new direc- Some of the songs on the new record even incorporate elements of storytion from their past work. telling, a tradition common in a lot of “We had been doing the same type country music. of oriented record—a garage rock record with a couple twangy numbers “We’ve definitely always been drawn and a couple psychedelic numbers,â€? to storytelling, narrative-type country says guitarist and vocalist Cole Alex- music,â€? Alexander explains. “A lot of ander. “It’s cool to kind of commit to that happens in truck-driving songs. one thing and kind of [have] a theme. It They were kind of geared towards truck drivers in the ’60s and ’70s befeels like a more mature record for us.â€? cause they had long drives; they were While the band might already have bored, so they do a more narrative incorporated some twang into their type thing. And we’ve always liked garage rock sound, the new LP leans that.â€? into country music more than anything Black Lips have done in the past. The record is coming at a perfect Their approach to writing this record time when a new wave of country involved doing extensive research on music is emerging that brings in a country music in order to make sure lot of people who weren’t privy to it they understood the rich genre with before. Black Lips are not the type to try to latch on to trends, so it’s entirely which they were engaging. happenstance but certainly works in “I didn’t wanna make, like, an ‘indie their favor. rock band makes a twangy record.’ I wanted to truly understand the “We never tried to follow the wave,â€? musical theory behind it,â€? Alexander Alexander says. “But, every once in a says. “So, I got pretty deep just from while, it comes around and it’s what doing research, or reading books, or we’re doing. It’s fun to try to ride. And listening to podcasts like Cocaine and currently, just coincidentally while we’re doing this, the whole country Rhinestones.â€?
“I DIDN’T WANT TO MAKE LIKE AN ‘INDIE ROCK BAND MAKES A TWANGY RECORD.’ I WANTED TO TRULY UNDERSTAND THE MUSICAL THEORY BEHIND IT.� In studying country music and learning how to play it, Alexander formed a deeper appreciation for the genre. “It was a lot more sophisticated technically to play than I had realized,� he says. “I always thought it was a very simple form of music, and I realized how complex it can get.�
thing has gotten kind of hip in a way, and that wasn’t something we planned on, but it’s kind of funny that it's happening. So, it kind of feels like good timing.� Alexander explains that for the first time, it feels like the direction they’re taking is aligned with what is popular in music right now.
Along with the shift in musical direction, this is Black Lips’ most lyrically “I kind of feel like what we’ve been domature album to date. As the vocals ing has been in step with the times,â€? he are more clear than on their past, says “When generally it hasn’t been. rowdier albums, they felt it was im- So that’s exciting. I feel like we’re portant to put more time and care in the moment of today for the first time.â€? đ&#x;’Ł into the lyrical content.
38 NEW NOISE
