Pink Mountaintops was in the background while Black Mountain loomed large over the world. But now Stephen McBean is back with another album of sonic alternatives to the heavier stoner fare he lays down in his other band.
Pink Mountaintops new CD Get Back came out at the end of last month on JagJaguwar. The lead-off single North Hollywood Microwaves features xx-rapping from Annie Hardy who also directed.
The chugging tune and its raunchy lyricism make clear that Get Back is getting back to an era before the angular grooves of earlier Pink Mountaintops albums. This is a rock record with no arty pretentions getting in the way of its dominant goal to excite and entice to the sleazy side of life.
“I’m living in Los Angeles and really loving investigating all of the city’s weird things which really influenced the new album,” says McBean. “This record was recorded and mixed in around a dozen days and it was fun, fast and dedicated to being outsiders.”
Originally, McBean and guitarist Gregg Foreman (Cat Power) were going to grab a drum machine and do the disc as a stripped-down deal. Enter Joe Cardamone, vocalist of the Icarus Line as producer and the concept changed.
“He had this studio over in Burbank and this reputation for raucous debauchery with his band and kind of said why don’t you go get a band of who you want to play with and flesh this out,” says McBean. “So I did and it was great because everyone who wound up involved has their specialty and brought different feels and approaches to the session. But it never got difficult, if something wasn’t happening we just moved on and kept smiling.”
Of 16 tracks out of the studio, 10 made the album with a band featuring McBean, Foreman, Steve Kille on bass (Dead Meadow) and Will Scott on drums (Wolfmother). The new tunes got their first exposure when McBean toured solo acoustic opening for Band of Horses last jaunt up the coast. Now they are bringing them back with the full force of the band with occasional guest spots by Hardy.
“It’s pretty great being with a bunch of guys where nobody is prone to be moody and the general make up of the band was along the lines of “we don’t have an organist for the tour – OK, screw the organist” and move on,” he says. “I wanted it stripped down, raw and dirty.”
As for the next Black Mountain album, it will happen when it does, he says:
“You know, everyone in the band has strayed so far from where it began in terms of both the musicians and the audience that it should be really interesting to see what comes out. We did 10 years of constant touring and now we have people coming to the shows who are Lightning Dust fans or fans of the Under the Black Rainbow soundtrack first. We’ll find the place where it all fits.”
In the meanwhile, Pink Mountaintops is swelling ahead. The band should be smoking by the time it comes to town for a co-production by Blueprint Live and Arrival Agency.
Twitter.com/StuartDerdeyn
In Concert:
Pink Mountaintops
Where: Fox Cabaret, 2321 Main Street
When: Friday, 8 p.m.
Tickets: $15 at bplive.ca
