Black Mountain

Black Mountain
In the Future
(Scratch Records)
Black Mountain's In the Future is so good---so complete in its vision--it's hard to believe it's only the band's second record. Even Pink Floyd---whose influence, along with Led Zeppelin, figures heavily but never takes over---were deep into their careers before they started writing 17-minute opuses. But Stephen McBean and co. have been together for a decade, first as Jerk with a Bomb, then trading between Pink Mountaintops, Blood Meridian and Black Mountain. It's this indie lineage and McBean's laconic vocal delivery (which is strangely reminiscent of Mudhoney's Mark Arm) that keeps the Vancouver-based group from falling into prog-rock wankery. ---
Ian Gormely