Pink Mountaintops | Get Back [ALBUM REVIEW]

Most people know about Stephen McBean's Black Mountain—the Vancouver psych rock band—but it is Pink Mountaintops, McBean's more traditional rock'n'roll outfit, that deserves the praise this time around, with the release of their new album Get Back. Put your razor away, and don't worry about sending those jeans through a wash cycle. Light up a smoke and crack open a Banquet, because this is summer bar rock in its finest form. Not one to shy away from a collaborative environment, Get Back features a large array of artists, including J Mascis, Rob Barbato (The Fall, Cass McCombs), Steve Kille (Dead Meadow), Daniel Allaire (Brian Jonestown Massacre), and Gregg Foreman (Cat Power, Delta 72). Get Back is a venture into what rock should sound like. Rock bands constantly fall victim to over polishing their albums, which loses the spirit of the cigarettes and booze. Pink Mountaintops avoid this pitfall, and the granular spaciousness of the production, intentionally sloppy drums, and driving guitars on overdrive, imparts an atmospheric feel. “Through All The Worry” is filled with propulsive drums, and listening to “New Teenage Mutilation,” with a cold domestic beer in one hand, cigarette and/or doobie in the other, will have you feeling like Wiley Wiggins at his first moon party.