Black Mountain - In the Future

Just as Neil Young enters a new phase of acclaim with Chrome Dreams II and Page and Plant dust down their flares to blow some young 'uns out the water with their stone aged wares, it seems the stars have aligned with perfect timing for the inception of Black Mountain's sophomore opus. Wearing the influences of these titanic forefathers proudly on their collective sleeve, the Canadian quintet carry on further up the psych rock path commenced by their eponymous 2005 debut with a record that sounds familiar yet simultaneously like nothing else of this time.

Dripping with soul, In the Future's groove dramatically changes tack from song to song yet there's a recurring Middle Eastern ambience that underpins it to attain an utterly absorbing cohesion. The wayward dynamics of the LP tug it in various directions; see the DJ Shadow-tinted organ-driven menace of Wucan, the haunting power of Amber Webber's vocal over a gothic, thunderous backdrop on Tyrants and the Bowie-meets-Sabbath space jam that Bright Lights masterfully morphs into. Shrugging off the ironic smegma that the Darkness et al left behind in the wake of their tongue-in-cheek cock rock antics, Black Mountain serve a reminder that it's not all about gimmicks and knock one right out of the park with this irresistibly sincere Godzilla-sized effort. [Dave Kerr]