September 3rd, 2010

Wilderness Heart is the third full length album from Canadian quintet Black Mountain. Recorded partly at Seattle’s London Bridge Studios, the same place where many seminal grunge albums by the likes of Soundgarden, Alice in Chains, Temple of the Dog and Pearl Jam were recorded, the album packs a classic Pacific Northwest vibe reminiscent of the aforementioned 90s mega acts. Big guitars, throaty vocals and classic rock grooves are all in abundance, but the band departs from formula not only by including some cool retro keyboard and synth sounds but by featuring two vocalists, Stephen McBean, who also fills out the guitarist role, and Amber Webber. There’s a bit of a Dead Weather vibe happening with the complementary male and female vocals, and while both bands are obviously operating from a similar reference point, the two headed vocal attack seems to work a bit better in the Dead Weather, the twin screaming banshee wail of Alison Mossheart and Jack White, whose voices are eerily similar, sounding more consonant than the gravelly roar of McBean and the sweetness that Webber brings to the table. From that standpoint, then, the vocal dynamic in Black Mountain is more reminiscent of the interplay between Black Francis and Kim Deal in the Pixies, even though the musical styles of the two bands are somewhat different. If anything, Webber’s vocals might be a little too sweet in the context of Black Mountain’s music. Nevertheless it works, and the shared vocals make for a nice change of pace from the typical heavy rock fare.

Kings Of Leon have unveiled the track-listing and artwork for their new album ‘Come Around Sundown’ which is scheduled for release on October 19 in the States and the day before in the UK (Oct 18)

‘Come Around Sundown’ is being released in two formats with a deluxe version that will include additional bonus tracks and a standard edition.