Let's Annex Them and Stop Being Jealous
Yellow is the new pink. Thursday is the new friday, and subsequently wednesday is the new thursday. And Canada is the new Britain. Well, to be technical, New England is... nevermind. It's pretty safe to say we self-admitted Americans have another country to appropriate our rock and roll envy towards. Well, hell, there's no point in shaming ourselves with said envy, embrace it! Wear your Godspeed You! Black Emperor T-shirt with pride! Pump your Kid Koala out of your whip, bass to the max! Pin up and make out with your Neko Case Tiger Beat poster!
Now while they probably won't explode to the inflatedly hyped juggernaut of Broken Social Arcade Dears from Above 1979 , Black Mountain is one that no doubt adds to this Canadian hysteria. Combining the hard riffs of Black Sabbath, the spacey psychedelia of Pink Floyd and topped with a little Motown sprinkle, Black Mountain is a band not only you but your hippie parents can love.
At the forefront is Stephen McBean (Jerk with a Bomb, Pink Mountaintops), whose voice is uncannily similar to Neil Young. His newest release Black Mountain has been released on JagJaguwar and has Pitchfork on its jock, with me waiting for my turn. "Modern Music" pushes them through the gate with blaring horns and soul sensibility. Predictably, my friend would add, "... and it has counting. You can't go wrong with counting in a song." While "No Satisfaction" is pure Stones, "Don't Run Our Hearts Around" had the same friend dying to hear Jethro Tull, as complimentary as that can be. "Druganaut", featuring one of many perfect McBean and Amber Webber vocal trade offs, has a groove that might make close dancing awkward and the chops that might clear the dance floor and let those guys waiting to bang their head a chance on the hardwood.
It really doesn't get more classic rock than this. Drawing from so many influences can sometimes hinder an ambitious project. But for McBean and Black Mountain, their true talent comes in the form of selectivity. Selectivity and true appreciation of the past. In a scene that is ass to ankles in bands copying contemporary bands covering classic bands, it's nice to hear a band that is taking the middle man out of the equation. Authentic imitation is the new cookie-cutter imitation. Or something like that. Now if you excuse me, it's late and I have a Les Georges Leningrad Collector Dish Plate set that needs dusting and copy of Strange Brew that is begging to be viewed for the 27th time .
Having just played two shows in the Bay Area a month ago, Vancouver's Black Mountain will be playing three shows this coming weekend. The shows are at Amoeba Records SF (4/16/05, afternoon in-store show), Cafe Du Nord (4/16/05, night show) with Frog Eyes and Boyjazz, and Liminal in Oakland (4/17/05). With this many shows, you might just accidentally walk into Black Mountain concert.
Download "Druganaut" and "Heart of Snow" from the fabulous Jagjaguwar website.
Black Mountain: http://www.blackmountainarmy.com
Now while they probably won't explode to the inflatedly hyped juggernaut of Broken Social Arcade Dears from Above 1979 , Black Mountain is one that no doubt adds to this Canadian hysteria. Combining the hard riffs of Black Sabbath, the spacey psychedelia of Pink Floyd and topped with a little Motown sprinkle, Black Mountain is a band not only you but your hippie parents can love.
At the forefront is Stephen McBean (Jerk with a Bomb, Pink Mountaintops), whose voice is uncannily similar to Neil Young. His newest release Black Mountain has been released on JagJaguwar and has Pitchfork on its jock, with me waiting for my turn. "Modern Music" pushes them through the gate with blaring horns and soul sensibility. Predictably, my friend would add, "... and it has counting. You can't go wrong with counting in a song." While "No Satisfaction" is pure Stones, "Don't Run Our Hearts Around" had the same friend dying to hear Jethro Tull, as complimentary as that can be. "Druganaut", featuring one of many perfect McBean and Amber Webber vocal trade offs, has a groove that might make close dancing awkward and the chops that might clear the dance floor and let those guys waiting to bang their head a chance on the hardwood.
It really doesn't get more classic rock than this. Drawing from so many influences can sometimes hinder an ambitious project. But for McBean and Black Mountain, their true talent comes in the form of selectivity. Selectivity and true appreciation of the past. In a scene that is ass to ankles in bands copying contemporary bands covering classic bands, it's nice to hear a band that is taking the middle man out of the equation. Authentic imitation is the new cookie-cutter imitation. Or something like that. Now if you excuse me, it's late and I have a Les Georges Leningrad Collector Dish Plate set that needs dusting and copy of Strange Brew that is begging to be viewed for the 27th time .
Having just played two shows in the Bay Area a month ago, Vancouver's Black Mountain will be playing three shows this coming weekend. The shows are at Amoeba Records SF (4/16/05, afternoon in-store show), Cafe Du Nord (4/16/05, night show) with Frog Eyes and Boyjazz, and Liminal in Oakland (4/17/05). With this many shows, you might just accidentally walk into Black Mountain concert.
Download "Druganaut" and "Heart of Snow" from the fabulous Jagjaguwar website.
Black Mountain: http://www.blackmountainarmy.com
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