New Black Mountain - "Tyrants"
Vancouver dust-kickers and Spider-Man 3 grads Black Mountain's forthcoming In The Future is one hell of a raging rock 'n' roll slab. We loved the eponymous debut, but as standout among standouts "Tyrants" should suggest, the troupe, three years the wiser and grizzlier, has upped the ante this time around. With "Tyrants," a rollicksome opening twists into an inky organ drift and then the band firmly plants its dark roots into the soil of epic (as in one of those poems), classic, apocalyptic rock.
Black Mountain - "Tyrants" (MP3)
See, it shifts and toils between the truck-stop blues of the Pink Mountaintops and the heftier jam-a-longs of Black Mountain, the wailing male female vocals overlapping to create a guitar-and-synth dashed, war torn, lightning dusted landscape where the eponymous tyrant will die by a sword, perhaps like he or she lived. Well, pretty sure it's a he.
In The Future is out 1/21 on Jagjaguwar.
Posted at 11:32 AM in MP3
Tags: Black Mountain
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Me and my friends went on a ferocious drinking session with Black Mountain / Pink Mountaintops / Blood Meridian after they played in Dublin last summer as part of their Black Mountain Liberation Army Tour. We were all completely wasted on Jameson Irish Whiskey (or Jameson as we call it) and I was talking to their boss (they all have day jobs in a drug rehabilitation clinic), when out of nowhere my friend who is 6'3" and quite hirsute tried to kiss Stephen McBean. And then they left to go back to their hotel.
Good to hear that such a harrowing experience involving a phenomenally drunk Irish man didn't dimish their hard-rocking sensibilities at all. It sounds just like all other Black Mountain tunes (although the brief bit of acoustic guitar confused me) and that's a good thing in my book. Go check this band out live if the opportunity ever arises. They're incredible - no matter which incarnation you manage to see.
PS - it's Pink MountainTOPS.
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hey Neilo -- thanks for the anecdote and the "tops." yeah, we knew the name, of course ... the self-titled debut remains a favorite. so sleazy and so good. (dig it more than axis of evol, though i realize i'm in the minority there.) anyhow, suffering through a bunch of attention-killing internet issues this morning. more coffee, please.
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Howdy Brandon - do I detect a little touch of the hangovers? I'm assuming, of course, that "attention-killing internet issues" is a euphemism.
Funnily enough, the band recommended that I buy the first one over the second one when I asked them because I only had enough money for one or two records and a load of booze that weekend (labelmates Okkervil River were on the next night). So you're not entirely in a minority.
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Cannot wait for this album! I think I've already worn out my Bastards of Light 12" which features two non-album tracks that are just about as awesome as "Tyrants".
No love for Jerk With a Bomb? Pyrokinesis might (so far) be the best thing Stephen (and co.) have crafted.
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I bought the new album on 2xLP and received the free download of the record. i think this album far outweighs their first album. it takes you on a sonic journey like a classic album should. you can hear a lot of influences. it sounds like it was recorded to tape. very saturated, muffed-out fuzzy guitar tones. i'm really diggin it.
I saw Pink Mountaintops last year open up for Wolfmother and I have to say that they were awful live. They seemed pissed-off and totally not into it. Very weak performance from a band I love. Maybe just a bad night?? I look forward to seeing BM sometime! I'm so bummed that this tour is passing right over ALbuquerque... they even have a day off between ARizona and TEXass. LAME
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