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I'm not exaggerating much when I say that every local Vancouver paper and weekly I have picked up over the last year has featured an article or cover story about the Pink Mountaintops or more recently Black Mountain. More recently, the same is true of weeklies and music magazines everywhere. But that's not the fault of Black Mountain right?
It's actually a great album and it's hard not to love, The opening song, Modern Music hooks you with two rare delights in this day and age: a super organic sound, which is sadly a rare thing in this day and age, and an awesome group vocal track.
By the time the drug-drenched Zeppelin riffage of second track Don't Run Our Hearts Around comes plodding shamelessly out of the speakers you don't even care that it's almost comically anachronistic and wears its dinosaur rock influences on its sleeve. Homage is likewise paid to Sabbath and the Stones in subsequent songs. Steve McBean's highly affected voice sounds like the eighties nineties and 21st century never happened.
An utterly perfect yet dead simple guitar riff drives No Satisfaction, which rivals Modern Music for best song on the album and is backed up by a driving and very Velvet Underground sounding eighth-note piano and drum beat. More group vocals to continued great effect. Also noteworthy are two songs, Set Us Free and Heart of Snow for the achingly beautiful voice of Amber Webber.
An unexpected drum machine drives No Hits, a track that reminds me of early Elevator to Hell with its sparse and elegant production of kick drum, claps and duo vocals. Sci-fi synths and thickly distorted guitar chords which kick in midway through turn the song into an epic psychedelic journey. From hereon, the album heads into further psyche freakouts and winds its way to conclusion.
Very good music, but be warned - to appreciate fully (or at all), you've got to have a deep fondness in your heart for vintage drug-rock sounds from decades past.
Gordon B. Isnor
Events
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Thu, 14 Aug 2008
Pukkelpop
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The Killers, Metallica, Bloc Party, Sigur Rós, The Flaming Lips, Iron & Wine, Stereophonics, Editors, We Are Scientists, Plain White T's, Hot Chip, The Futureheads, Manic Street Preachers, Alkaline Trio, Tricky, Within Temptation, M83, Dropkick Murphys, Thrice, The Subways, Killswitch Engage, The Dresden Dolls, Anti-Flag, MGMT, Less Than Jake, The National, Elbow, Dirty Pretty Things, Cold War Kids, Pendulum, MxPx, As I Lay Dying, Soulfly, Simian Mobile Disco, The Cribs, Soulwax, Robyn, The Ting Tings, The Breeders, Caribou, British Sea Power, Serj Tankian, The Wombats, OneRepublic, Mercury Rev, Ian Brown, Epica, Foals, Louis XIV, Menomena, Crystal Castles, Uffie, Be Your Own Pet, Meshuggah, Stereo MC's, Junkie XL, Róisín Murphy, Girl Talk, Jamie Lidell, Late of the Pier, Tindersticks, Yelle, Does It Offend You, Yeah?, Danko Jones, Los Campesinos!, Miss Kittin & The Hacker, Amy Macdonald, Santogold, Boys Noize, Diplo, Martina Topley-Bird, Black Kids, Sons and Daughters, Midnight Juggernauts, SebastiAn, Ricardo Villalobos, Tunng, Black Mountain, The Unseen, Neurosis, High Contrast, Clutch, Hadouken!, The Whip, DJ Mehdi, Two Gallants, Blood Red Shoes, 2 Many DJ's, The Casualties, Lykke Li, Drive-By Truckers, Yeasayer, Cult of Luna, Disco Ensemble, Michael Franti & Spearhead, Kaizers Orchestra, Infadels, Etienne de Crécy, Lightspeed Champion, Holy Fuck, A Wilhelm Scream, Operator Please, Nina Nastasia, Joan as Police Woman, DJ Hype, Feadz, Dan Deacon, Switch, Carl Craig, Girls in Hawaii, One Night Only, SoKo, Deadmau5, Surkin, Das Pop, The Sword, Fuck Buttons, Bob Mould, Tocadisco, State Radio, The Dodos, Volbeat, These New Puritans, Benga, Alela Diane, Flying Lotus, Black Light Burns, Dan Le Sac vs Scroobius Pip, The Like, Little Dragon, Have Heart, Those Dancing Days, Henry Rollins, Headman, Móveis Coloniais de Acaju, The Ocean, Chase & Status, Dusty Kid, TC, Witchcraft, The Dø, El Guincho, Arsenal, Yuksek, The Gutter Twins, A-Trak, Erol Alkan, Shackleton, Animal Alpha, Leila, A Brand, Crookers, autoKratz, Dan Le Sac vs. Scroobius Pip, DJ Friction, The Heavy, Kid Harpoon, Pivot, The Bloody Beetroots, Le Le, Joe Lean and the Jing Jang Jong, aka The Junkies, Year Long Disaster, Monza, Radioclit, Red Light Company, The Subs, Pete & The Pirates, Dr. Lektroluv, A Mountain Of One, XX Teens, AmenRa, Brodinski, Chrome Hoof, The Shoes, This Is Menace, Scroobius Pip, The Count & Sinden, The Black Box Relevation, Tim Vanhamel, White Lies, Headphone, Jeugd Van Tegenwoordig, Motek, Freaky Age, Creature With The Atom Brain, Count & Sinden, Jubilee, Dan Le Sac, Kitty, Daisy & Lewis, The Germans, Coem, The hickey underworld, Lady Linn and her Magnificent Seven, Santagold, Sons Of Albion, Daddy Earl, The Rones, Modeselektor & Pfadfinderei, MaxNormal.TV, Uffie & Feadz, DJ Hype & Daddy Earl, Storm of Light, Hi Fi Handgrenades
at Kiewit, Hasselt Belgium
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Fri, 15 Aug 2008
The Green Man Festival
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Iron & Wine, The National, Caribou, Super Furry Animals, Spiritualized, Laura Marling, Black Mountain, Damien Jurado, Make Model, Drive-By Truckers, Nina Nastasia, Richard Thompson, Shannon, James Yorkston and The Athletes, Alela Diane, The Pentangle, Simone White, King Creosote, Bowerbirds, Magik Markers, Jennifer Gentle, School of Language, Los Campesinos, O'Death, The Cave Singers, Wild Beasts, Andy Votel, Howlin' Rain, The Accidental, Devon Sproule, Babel, Cats In Paris, Pete Molinari, The Owl Service, Ox.Eagle.Lion.Man, Barbarossa, The Agnostic Mountain Gospel Choir, Mugstar, Radio Luxembourg, The Gentle Good, Nic Dawson Kelly, Rod Thomas, One More Grain, City Reverb, Truckers Of Husk, The Yellow Moon Band, Cymbient, Pete Greenwood, Brigyn, Wolf People, Duke Garwood, The Saffron Sect, Beth Jeans Houghton, Prince Rama of Ayodhya, Cath and Phil Tyler, Moon Music Orchestra, 9 Bach, threatmatics, The Drift Collective, Pamela Wyn
at Glanusk Park, Brecon Beacons,, Abergavenny United Kingdom
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Fri, 15 Aug 2008
Green Man Festival
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Super Furry Animals, Iron & Wine, Badly Drawn Boy, The National, Junior Boys, Caribou, Spiritualized, Los Campesinos!, Laura Marling, Black Mountain, Damien Jurado, Make Model, Drive-By Truckers, Lightspeed Champion, Nina Nastasia, Richard Thompson, Fuck Buttons, James Yorkston and The Athletes, Little Wings, Alela Diane, The Pentangle, Simone White, King Creosote, Archie Bronson Outfit, Emmy the Great, Lou Rhodes, Bowerbirds, Grand Archives, Magik Markers, Jennifer Gentle, School of Language, O'Death, The Cave Singers, Wild Beasts, Jacob Golden, Essie Jain, Eugene McGuinness, Howlin' Rain, Sennen, The Accidental, Wildbirds & Peacedrums, The War On Drugs, Devon Sproule, Fight Like Apes, Jane Weaver, Babel, Cats In Paris, North Sea Radio Orchestra, Pete Molinari, The Owl Service, Ox.Eagle.Lion.Man, Barbarossa, The Agnostic Mountain Gospel Choir, Mugstar, Heather Jones, Radio Luxembourg, One Little Plane, The Gentle Good, Nic Dawson Kelly, Cate Le Bon, Rod Thomas, Mumford & Sons, One More Grain, City Reverb, Paul Marshall, Truckers Of Husk, George Thomas And The Owls, John Stammers, The Yellow Moon Band, Pamela Wyn Shannon, Mary Hampton, Cymbient, Pete Greenwood, Brigyn, Threatmantics, Wolf People, Duke Garwood, The Saffron Sect, The Peth, Beth Jeans Houghton, Sara Lowes, David A. Jaycock, Gwyneth Glyn, Prince Rama of Ayodhya, burning leaves, Orange Blossom Special, Radio Luxemburg, Cath and Phil Tyler, Swanton Bombs, Ben Ottewell, Clare Maguire, 9 Bach, The Moon Music Orchestra, Essie James, The Drift Collective
at Glanusk Park, Wales United Kingdom
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Fri, 15 Aug 2008
A Campingflight to Lowlands Paradise 2008
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Franz Ferdinand, Sigur Rós, The Flaming Lips, Iron & Wine, The Kooks, The Hives, Nightwish, HIM, Editors, We Are Scientists, Plain White T's, Underworld, The Fratellis, Hot Chip, Sex Pistols, The Roots, N*E*R*D, Tricky, Dropkick Murphys, Thrice, Killswitch Engage, The Dresden Dolls, Anti-Flag, MGMT, The National, The Presidents of the United States of America, Elbow, Pendulum, Mindless Self Indulgence, Simian Mobile Disco, Digitalism, Gogol Bordello, The Ting Tings, The Breeders, British Sea Power, The Wombats, Anouk, The Pigeon Detectives, dEUS, Crystal Castles, Miss Kittin, Booka Shade, Junkie XL, Róisín Murphy, The Hoosiers, Jamie Lidell, Late of the Pier, Korpiklaani, Ellen Allien, Vive la Fête, Does It Offend You, Yeah?, Danko Jones, Los Campesinos!, Amy Macdonald, Laura Marling, Santogold, Ane Brun, Diplo, Black Kids, Midnight Juggernauts, Modeselektor, Tunng, Black Mountain, Stephen Lynch, Hadouken!, Blood Red Shoes, Dominik Eulberg, Lykke Li, Yeasayer, Slagsmålsklubben, Sven Väth, Infadels, Hercules and Love Affair, Holy Fuck, Black Sun Empire, No Age, Luciano, Paprika Korps, One Night Only, Deadmau5, Fuck Buttons, Kraak & Smaak, The Rascals, Volbeat, Benga, Bong-Ra, Pete Philly & Perquisite, Tom Baxter, Roni Size & Reprazent, De Jeugd van Tegenwoordig, Andy C, Get Well Soon, Textures, Fucked Up, The Gutter Twins, The Opposites, Erol Alkan, DJ Promo, Quiet Village, GEM, autoKratz, Jaya the Cat, Che Sudaka, The Budos Band, Kissy Sell Out, Code Red, Extince, Steve Aoki, Fenin, Pivot, DJ Scotch Egg, Le Le, 2562, Haydamaky, The Girls, Kid Carpet, Claw Boys Claw, The Shoes, Shinedoe, Magnetic Man, The Count & Sinden, White Lies, Triggerfinger, Headphone, Melon, Lucky Fonz III, Off the Record, Hit Me TV, Asakusa Jinta, Toumast, Jeremy's, Max Pashm, St. Paul, Leine, Bart Skils, Joost Van Bellen, Deformer, DubXanne, BeardyMan, Scotch Egg, Nuno Dos Santos, Sandeman, DJ Wiekes, Dorlene Love, Ille Bitch, Intifada Soundsystem, The Pedro Delgados, Police in Dub, DJ Dab, Boemklatsch, Hawkeye and Hoe Band, Christiaan Kuyvenhoven, The Infaders, (Mad) Ed, The Walk & Roger Seventytwo
at Evenemententerrein Walibi World, Biddinghuizen Netherlands
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Fri, 22 Aug 2008
Outside Lands Festival 2008
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Radiohead, Beck, Jack Johnson, Cake, Broken Social Scene, Regina Spektor, Wilco, Stars, Manu Chao, Devendra Banhart, Andrew Bird, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, The Walkmen, Cold War Kids, Primus, M. Ward, Lupe Fiasco, The Black Keys, Rogue Wave, dredg, Liars, Toots and The Maytals, Donavon Frankenreiter, Matt Nathanson, Café Tacuba, Ben Harper & The Innocent Criminals, Rodrigo y Gabriela, Steve Winwood, Black Mountain, Vienna Teng, Little Brother, Steel Pulse, Two Gallants, Bon Iver, Drive-By Truckers, Nellie McKay, Kaki King, Lyrics Born, Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings, Widespread Panic, The Cool Kids, The Coup, Goapele, Los Amigos Invisibles, Galactic, The Gift of Gab, Sidestepper, Animal Liberation Orchestra, K'naan, Jackie Greene, The Felice Brothers, Sean Hayes, The Mother Hips, The Dynamites, Grace Potter & the Nocturnals, Everest, Thriving Ivory, Howlin' Rain, Back Door Slam, Culver City Dub Collective, Headnodic, Mike Gordon, Nicole Atkins & The Sea, The Mighty Underdogs, Lateef, Rupa & The April Fishes, Carney, Dumpstaphunk, Sila & the Afrofunk Experience
at Golden Gate Park, San Francisco, CA United States
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Fri, 29 Aug 2008
Rifflandia
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Man Man, Final Fantasy, Black Mountain, Blitzen Trapper, Johnny and the Moon, The Upsidedown, Colourbook, dreamboat
at Lucky Bar, Victoria, BC Canada
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Wed, 17 Sep 2008
Pygmalion Music Festival 2008
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Yo La Tengo, Asobi Seksu, Black Mountain, Murder by Death, Owen, Dan Deacon, Headlights, Evangelicals, Times New Viking, Oxford Collapse, High Places, The M's, Jesse Sykes & the Sweet Hereafter, Catfish Haven, The Hood Internet, The Forms, Decibully, Pattern is movement, Titus Andronicus, Dark Meat, The Foundry Field Recordings, Wye Oak, The War On Drugs, Elsinore, Loaded, The Lonely Hearts, Thao with The Get Down Stay Down, Pontiak, The Living Blue, Monotonix, Caleb Engstrom, Santa, New Ruins, Dr. Manhattan, Gentleman Auction House, Centaur, pwrfl power, Grampall Jookabox, Oceans, Angie Heaton, Animate Objects, Everthus the Deadbeats, Carl Hauck, Butterfly Assassins, Mute Era, Casados, Ryan Groff, The Ruckus, Treologic, Peter Piek, Krukid, Tractor Kings, Tall Tale, Hot Cops, Girls Next Door, Snowsera, Jared Bartman, Coco Coca, Common Loon, World's First Flying Machine, Beaujolais, Brian Esmao, Post Historic, Sangamon, Robots Counterfeiting Money, The Brother Whys, Jonathon Childers, Agent Mos, Underpaid Packy, Good Night and Good Morning, Lucky Mulholland, Zmick, Eureka Sky, Michael Kammin, Sunset Stallion, Hathaways, The Number One Sons, Checkerboard Stalemate, Rod & Martha Stewart
at various, Urbana United States
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Sat, 20 Sep 2008
Hideout Block Party
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Neko Case, The New Pornographers, Ratatat, Black Mountain, Giant Sand, Dan Le Sac vs. Scroobius Pip, Robbie Fulks, Tim Fite, Vieux Farka Touré, Dark Meat, Vieux Farka Toure, Monotonix, Plastic People of the Universe, Little Cow, The Uglysuit, Wee Hairy Beasties, Honey Boy Edwards/Devil in a Woodpile, The Jon Rauhouse Sestet
at The Hideout, Chicago(, IL) United States
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Sun, 21 Sep 2008
Black Mountain
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Black Mountain, Jesse Sykes & the Sweet Hereafter
at The Crofoot, Pontiac United States
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Tue, 23 Sep 2008
Black Mountain
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Black Mountain, Jesse Sykes & the Sweet Hereafter
at Bowery Ballroom, New York United States
