Black Mountain – In the Future
Another thumbs down I’m afraid – what a negative, misanthropic day I am having with my reviews.
I read too many blogs. I’d not really heard of Black Mountain and didn’t know much, if anything, about them, so on the strength of the general internet excitement I went out and availed myself of a copy, much to my disappointment.
I know prog is supposed to be enjoying something of a renaissance at the moment, but it is a trend I personally could well do without. I mean, influenced by prog is one thing but actually, literally reproducing the stuff is really not called for at all. Stephen Malkmus might be the only person I can think of who actually gets away with this sort of thing.
At its best this album recalls ballsy, psychedelic West Coast rock ‘n’ roll and when it does this it produces some really good moments. There are bits of this album I really enjoy. But when push really comes to shove it is dominated by bombastic drumming, stodgy, interminable guitar solos and a kind of grandiose, apocalyptic hubris which quite frankly fails to float my boat.
I’m not denying their skills, nor would I be shocked to hear that many of my readers like this stuff. I think perhaps it’s a sound to which I have yet to really acclimatise, so perhaps once this revival is in full swing and we all want to write rock symphonies again I will be able to discern the, ahem, ‘good’ prog from the bad, but for the time being all I hear is music for the most part best left behind in the seventies. The thing is, lots of it obliterates songs with some really really good bits as well, which is frustrating. Maybe I’m just being conventional, but this just isn’t doing it for me at all – quite frustratingly so.
Black Mountain – Angels
Black Mountain – Stay Free
Mr Toad sir, you may have saved me some money with this review – you may not have but it will certainly shape my music buying thoughts later in the week.
Based on these two tracks, and with no overwhelming inclination to listen to any more: Anonymous and very derivative.
Everyone who has picked up a guitar in the last 35 years has sat back on a sofa and strummed out tunes like this. I mean everyone, from me to Yngwee Malmsteen.
And the similarities don’t end there…
Dear Cockrider, go ride a cock, this album is ace. Prog rock is a shit point of reference, you obviiously are trying a little too hard to keep on the edge of cool. And, after jumping from here to your front page it seems you don’t do fuck all but find negative stuff to say about anything. Get some counselling or go make An hero.
Trying hard to keep on the edge of cool? Gosh it’s always fun when people who apparently can’t actually read try and leave comments.
Oddly enough it appears that by repeatedly slapping your flippered hands against the keyboard you seem to have accidentally created something that bears a passable similarity to an actual English sentence.
Sadly, however, the resemblance is only superficial.