Live: Black Mountain @ Empty Bottle

ARTICLE BY MYCHELLE PETERSON AND PHOTOS BY KIRSTIE SHANLEY

MARCH 22 | CHICAGO—There aren’t many bands who render me speechless, but leaving the Black Mountain show at the Empty Bottle last weekend, I found myself almost at a loss for words. Aurally speaking, the show was near flawless. So that’s it. You say it’s perfect, and you’re done, right?

Not so fast actually. Seeing Black Mountain represents the culmination of my seeing a number of psychedelic rock bands in the last year and really embracing a sound I previously didn’t identify with at all. But the year has been a remarkable one, and I truly feel I’ve seen the best that this revived genre has to offer. Black Mountain ranks right at the top with their explosive sound fusing the best of ’60s psychedelia with the heavy metal bombast of Black Sabbath in their heyday.

Before we go any further, let’s set the stage. Black Mountain’s music is about dramatic subtlety and gradual crescendos that hit you before you realize what’s going on. It’s not a three-and-a-half minute song fit for virtually any radio station I can think of, and it’s better off for it. The band seems to compose music with no restrictions and no pressure of fitting into a mold that doesn’t quite work for them. With their second album, In the Future, Black Mountain forays once again into dark and emotional territory with passion and conviction. Alongside such contemporaries as The Black Angels and The Warlocks, Black Mountain is forging their own path in the direction of a long career making powerful music.

After listening to them on record, it’s tough to know what to expect live. Is there a grand stage show with dramatic lighting during vocalist Amber Webber’s soaring soliloquies, or are there smoke and fog machines filling the venue to the point where you can’t see the person next to you? But these performers are not about a pretentious show at all. In fact, they are masters of restraint, which starkly contrasts with the epic songs they play. Close your eyes, and you might envision yourself in a giant stadium with Led Zepplin, Pink Floyd and the aforementioned Sabbath. But open them, and you’re pretty sure you’re hanging out in someone’s living room-turned-practice space.

Black Mountain opened the set with “Stormy High,” one of the best tracks off of In the Future, and it really set the tone for the rest of the night. Webber’s vocals really shine live, and unlike what the recent performance on David Letterman might have implied, they sound remarkable. A cross between a wail and a Tiny Tim falsetto at times, Webber provides a feminine touch to a seemingly otherwise ‘boys club.’ When paired with Stephen McBean’s nasal sound, the layered vocals work just as perfectly as when each sing solo.

As with all bands of this ilk, Black Mountain’s drummer, Joshua Wells, deserves a lot of credit for keeping the beat going while the other members playfully experiment with sounds through extended jams. There were a few times when I got lost in one of the songs, and I just went straight back to the drums to regain focus and balance in the music.

Style-wise, the band is not showy in the least. I keep coming back to the living room scenario, but these musicians aren’t posing for photo ops or making sure they’re showing their ‘good’ side during their performance, and it’s a refreshing experience. The band is much more concerned with creating amazing music and are willing to look imperfect doing it.

A good combination of songs from both albums made up the set list, and the audience was definitely lost in the haze of the music. In a potentially buzz-killing decision, Black Mountain chose to play the self-indulgent and almost 20-minute “Bright Lights” from In the Future. For some bands, this would have come across as pretentious and almost defiant, but in the capable hands of Black Mountain, it felt like a welcome winding down of the evening that had taken us from extreme highs to depth-defying lows.

Though I truly believe Black Mountain’s music is best heard late at night and in the dark, the band is out to prove me wrong by playing a daytime set at Coachella. Unlike some of the other bands in this genre, I actually think Black Mountain might be able to pull it off. Check it out, and let me know if I’m right!

Comments

[paulag]

dude the pictures kick ass, you kick ass..
damn this band fucking rocks.

mychelle i think we found the band for our weddings.
hahha

[Pupz Peep]

Excellent review, although I don't think I would want them to play at my wedding. :^P

[Kirstie]

Yes Yes felt the same about the reference to Warlock and Black Angels..!

[paulag]

awwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww.......
okey maybe not the wedding, how about, um hmm.
(pausing for a moment)
engagement partaaay)