Arabia Mountain
You know that mixture of giddiness and dread you get right after you drop acid? On their sixth studio LP, these notoriously hard-partying psych rockers musically approximate the feeling. “Going on a future quest, surf the mountain, ride the crest,” begins “New Direction,” a jangly, loose-limbed tune that’s among Arabia Mountain‘s finest. The band brought in producer Mark Ronson (Amy Winehouse, Duran Duran) but seems to have been more interested in refining than reinventing: Ronson helped the Lips brighten up their sound while keeping it authentically creepy. Arabia Mountain does what all great psych rock ought to: It freaks you out, but in the best possible way.
Listen to “Family Tree”: