ARTIST WE LIKE: MOLLY NILSSON ((synth art))
((Black Mountain)) Band Profile and Upcoming Chicago Concerts - Oh My Rockness
Black Mountain
Black Mountain are another one of those sprawling Canadian groups that calls itself an art "collective" (Broken Social Scene, Godspeed). These guys are so out-there (four of them work in a mental health center) that to call them eclectic would be a mighty understatement. Their sound encompasses a whole lot of styles. Think the psych-rock of Pink Floyd and the experimental noodlings of Can with the classic riffage of Black Sabbath and Zeppelin. Oh, and throw some gospel in there, too.
Their songs fly all over the map with sax-fueled grooves, choppy power chords and throbbing dance beats that they can be, at times, a frustrating listening experience if you aren't ready for all the zig-zags. Some of Black Mountain's songs are short, some are really long, some sound like church, some sound like Les Savy Fav. It makes me tired just thinking about it. But by calling themselves a "collective," they give themselves license to rock out to any and all definable genres. They make music that is impossible to review. But music was meant to be listened to and not reviewed anyway. So, probably, Black Mountain knows something that we don't.
Their songs fly all over the map with sax-fueled grooves, choppy power chords and throbbing dance beats that they can be, at times, a frustrating listening experience if you aren't ready for all the zig-zags. Some of Black Mountain's songs are short, some are really long, some sound like church, some sound like Les Savy Fav. It makes me tired just thinking about it. But by calling themselves a "collective," they give themselves license to rock out to any and all definable genres. They make music that is impossible to review. But music was meant to be listened to and not reviewed anyway. So, probably, Black Mountain knows something that we don't.
Published March 25, 2005
