KEY POINTS:
Herald rating: * * * *
At times these crazy Canadian hippies sound similar to fun yet derivative Australians Wolfmother. But there's more to Black Mountain.
There's Amber Webber's haunting, folky wail for starters. On Queens Will Play, which creeps along with galactic keyboards and hazy guitars until it escalates into a punishing groove, she's like Janis Joplin, shrieker Diamanda Galas, and Lisa Gerrard from Dead Can Dance all rolled into one.
And when the Canadians delve into psychedelic blues they take you on a tantalising and often torrid trip made up of searing distortion and frenzied riffs.
On Angels and Stay Free they sound like the winding country sound of Melbourne-based New Zealanders Cassette, and then suddenly they erupt, like on the rumbling angst of Tyrants and raging blues opener Stormy High.
The highlight is 16-minute epic Bright Lights, which makes In the Future worth it alone.
Basically, it's the soundtrack to when all hell breaks loose.
Label: Jagjaguwar
Verdict: It's progressive blues-folk-rock but somehow crazy Canadians make it work
