Stephen McBean is the most prominent member of Vancouver-based art collective “Black Mountain Army”, a slew of talented and ever-rotating musicians borne of their love for folk rock. Fronting 3 influential acts – Black Mountain, Pink Mountaintops and Jerk With A Bomb – McBean has procreated nearly 10 stellar LPs, toured with Coldplay, had songs featured in blockbuster movies, received Juno and Polaris Music Prize nominations, and boasts one of the most captivating folk rock shows around.
5-piece psychrock-nodding Black Mountain with their LPs “Black Mountain”, “Wilderness Heart” and “In The Future” have garnered the most critical and commercial success, the former being my favourite. However, I believe his lesser-known side-projects are an even more intriguing listen. Within his solo electronic-folk moniker Pink Mountaintops, McBean created one of my most listened-to Canadian records with the masterpiece LP “Axis of Evol” (as well as his noteworthy eponymous and “Outside Love” releases). Jerk With A Bomb, a gritty duo between McBean and Joshua Wells (the stellar drummer in much of McBean’s work), delineates his introduction to the music world with 2 excellent LPs “Pyrokinesis” and “The Old Noise”.
Favourite tracks:
Black Mountain – Don’t Run Our Hearts Around (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HVUYwP47SHw)
Pink Mountaintops – How We Can Get Free (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iDJKch17e-I)
Jerk With A Bomb – To The Grave (http://www.magnetmagazine.com/2009/04/09/lost-classics-jerk-with-a-bomb-pyrokinesis/)
Devil-Sincere 