Black Mountain – “Black Mountain (Demo)” (Stereogum Premiere)

Black Mountain – “Black Mountain (Demo)” (Stereogum Premiere)

Minus a few side projects, Vancouver psych-rockers Black Mountain have been quiet since 2012’s Year Zero surf-film soundtrack. But this year marks the 10th anniversary of their riff-heavy, exploratory debut self-titled album. To commemorate that, the band and its label, Jagjaguwar, are rolling out a deluxe reissue of the record featuring unreleased tracks, including a quasi-origin story for the group called “Black Mountain.” And indeed, when band leader Stephen McBean strums and slurs over his sparse acoustic guitar, there’s a palpable air of folklore in the space he creates. “Arise, Black Mountain,” he sings, laying his previous band, Jerk With A Bomb, to rest and summoning the new band that yet had many peaks to ascend. Listen to the track and read more about it from McBean below.

Here’s McBean on the genesis of the song (and the band):

Jerk With A Bomb was playing a show at Pat’s Pub in Vancouver. It must’ve been 2003. The night before I had a dream that if we were called Black Mountain we would become an unstoppable rock ‘n’ roll force. In the morning, a banner was created on a old sheet with a few jiffy markers and our opening theme song was composed. I believe we played it live a few more times enhanced with synchronized dance, then left it to rest for 10 odd years on a mini disc in a dusty box, but that evening through dream, banner and song Black Mountain was born.

Here’s a look at the reissue artwork with cool silver discs:

And here’s a photo of the band from way back in 2005:

The remastered Black Mountain (10th Anniversary Deluxe Edition) is out 6/23 via Jagjaguwar.

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