Black Mountain - Black Mountain

Black Mountain is one of two circulating incarnations of Vancouver musician Stephen McBean—the other being the more solo oriented Pink Mountaintops. Releasing self-titled, debut albums within six months of each other, these Mountain-family bands have given nostalgic rock 'n' roll fans reason to rise. And hell, even if your record collection doesn't consist of battered vinyl copies of late '60's and early '70's drug-fueled, heavy hitters, you won't be able to resist the gritty grooves of both bands. But, this is a Black Mountain review, so on with the show.

Black Mountain opens the curtain with the first of many assertive anthems. The caustic "Modern Music" declares "One, two, three another pop explosion / One, two, three another hit recording / Four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten." – A jab at the state of modern music that makes no bones about it, and I likey. Like much of the album, it's adorned with loud guitar, screechy sax, and some killer Keith Moon/John Bonham style drumming. And if you aren't already familiar with Pink Mountaintops and their superb duet "Tourist in Your Town," you get your first taste of the soulful singing of Amber Webber who takes center stage later on "Heart of Snow."

Following the opiate groove of "Druganaut," "No Satisfaction" sounds like a sunshine alarm after the two previous shadowy efforts. Recalling the Vaselines and VU, "No Satisfaction" showcases more of McBean's cool and Webber's raw soul. The album continues with more blues, prog, and psychedelic rock detailing the sub-genres' highlights with a new and exciting perspective. Citing the Rolling Stones, Velvet Underground, Led Zeppelin, Black Sabbath and Pink Floyd among others, Black Mountain somehow succeed in keeping it fresh all along.
(Year of Release: 2005)

Track List:
1. Modern Music
2. Don't Run Our Hearts Around
3. Druganaut
4. No Satisfaction
5. Set Us Free
6. No Hits
7. Heart Of Snow
8. Faulty Times

Download: Black Mountain - Black Mountain (70MB)