record review: The Almighty Defenders (eponymous debut)

Labels are not cool.
Unless, of course, they are self-inflicted.

I remember the first time I read about Black Lips, the so called “flower punk band” from Georgia. I chuckled a bit—but when I heard the music, I understood. This garage punk was flowery! There was something I couldn’t exactly put my finger on, a subtle trace of… fragrance and silkiness, and “flower punk” was the best way to describe it. I was a tad annoyed that the band beat me to it.

In addition to releasing their fifth LP—the unbridled and effortlessly brilliant 200 Million Thousand—earlier this year, Black Lips teamed up with their friends King Khan + BBQ to form “The Almighty Defenders” and released an album under that moniker. Nope, there isn’t any trick to their name, it’s exactly what it sounds like.

“Gospel punk”.
Oh, dear.

What really amazed me about this record was that it didn’t sound so much like a supergroup, but more like…well, gospel punk. Supergroup efforts are always emphatically…super. Like, you can always tell the difference between a song by a regular band and one by a supergroup; the latter always has an element of heaviness which doubtless comes from collaborative songwriting from a group of experienced songwriters (as opposed to regular bands, who, for the most part have one primary songwriter). Anyhow, The Almighty Defenders don’t sound like a supergroup at all; their songs are lighthearted and lucid. Maybe it’s because the two bands are friends, maybe it’s because they’ve collaborated on stage before, but whatever the reason, I am very grateful for it.

While each track is distinctly deviant, the whole album is filled with 50’s beach rock influences and percussion galore. I found myself twisting and turning and being completely overtaken by the bass in “The Ghost with the Most”. The craziest thing, though, is that the label “gospel punk” hits the mark exactly. And I never would have predicted that the melding of those two genres would result in such a ferociously danceable album.

Don’t fret, The Almighty Defenders are here to get rid of all of your Jihad Blues. I guess I don’t hate all evangelists after all.

4.5/5





Highly recommended, especially for people like me, who really love Black Lips but haven’t gotten into King Khan yet. It’s a great way to transition into King Khan + BBQ’s work. Give my favourite track a listen below (vocals courtesy of Mark Sultan aka BBQ):

The Almighty Defenders – Cone of Light [mp3]
I dare you not to love this song. It makes me shake like a Polaroid picture!