B is for Black Mountain

Confession time.
I've never been a big fan of prog-rock. I've been known to say 'no' to Yes, and when it came time to submit my list for the Top Canadian Albums, Rush was nowhere to be found (though several of their records made the cut, at the expense of personal favourites like this one).

So it comes as a bit of a surprise that the very proggy new record, In The Future, from Vancouver band Black Mountain is kicking my ass six ways to Sunday. While there are some radio-length songs, the backbone of the album is the epics "Tyrant" and "Bright Lights," clocking in at 8 and 16 minutes respectively, during which synths and pan-flutes abound, while Amber Webber's unearthly vocals float above the music. Upon reflection, epic may not be a big enough word to contain or describe these songs. Black Mountain has always displayed a penchant for pushing guitar dynamics to both their quiet and loud extremes (on the Druganaut EP and their self-titled full-length) but with In The Future they somehow manage to eclipse their past work and fold new influences into the fabric of their 'stoner rock.' If this is what the soundtrack to getting stoned is, pass me the pipe.

Black Mountain are about to embark on a gargantuan tour (fitting considering this is a behemoth of a record) that will find them here in Winnipeg on March 27 at the Pyramid, supported by Ladyhawk. I'll be hitting the merch table to buy this puppy on double-LP.

For a limited time, anyone and everyone can listen to a full album stream of the full album on the band's myspace page,.

Thanks for reading, now start listening...