Black Mountain
Bastards of Light (12-inch, Jagjaguwar)

On Bastards of Light, a limited-edition vinyl-only EP, Black Mountain takes a moment or two to chill out. Joshua Wells's relaxed drums set the pace for a laid-back title cut that has harmonizing vocalists Stephen McBean and Amber Webber serenely singing about fields of flowers. Unfortunately the flip side doesn't quite match up to these heights. "Thirteen Walls" is pleasant enough, but the seven-minute track meanders on a simple country-and-western riff for way too long. Oddly enough, the EP's best tune isn't even on the record; instead, you'll find it in cyberspace. Buyers of this 12-inch will also receive a download code for "Tyrants", from Black Mountain's forthcoming album In the Future. The song's crunching psych-rock peaks and valleys make for the kind of dark, epic journey that has, deservedly, made the band a favourite of the Pitchfork set.