Black Lips

The new video from the Black Lips is an accurate distillation of what makes the band appealing. The clip for "Modern Art," the brisk psychedelic pop lead single from the band's new Arabia Mountain LP, is an acid trip in the classic '60s tradition. The clip opens with the Atlanta quartet sitting on a couch in shiny, black leather jackets and tight jeans, staring into the camera with grimaces lifted from a Ramones album cover. Super-imposed over scenes in wild shades of pink and blue, squids flit across the screen. Singer Jared Swilley stalks through what looks like a house party, doused in red light, delivering each line like a threat to the camera. In the second verse, the video abruptly shifts to scenes of war in the Middle East. The band jokes in front of these scenes in costumes, with prominent help from a cheap plastic skull. It's, of course, totally tasteless, but in a way that's certain to get several chuckles.

The video shows the Black Lips having it every way they want it, and their well-manicured, fascinating approach to garage rock allows them to come close to doing the same in their career. Like the video, they dabble in psychedelia, but only to the point that it's warm and inviting. They pair this with simple, punchy melodies, the kind that become entrenched in your mind, goading you to keep on listening. The Black Lips balance their accessibility with bad-boy rock attitude and a propensity to do things for shock value:In the video, they make light of Middle East conflict. They just recorded Arabia Mountain with Mark Ronson (yes, that Mark Ronson). On stage they're known to spit at their audiences. They always stop short of being abjectly confrontational, and combined with their sound, it's a recipe that keeps them firmly on the famous side of infamy.

Black Lips write really good rock songs, and they package them with just the right amount of danger. In short, they've mastered the art of being cool. —Jordan Lawrence