BLACK MOUNTAIN /// BLACK MOUNTAIN / DRUGANAUT EP /// JAGJAGUWAR ///

Just when you think Canada has reached it's quota of indie exports lately, Black Mountain stakes its place firmly in Vancouver soil, ready to grow. Backed by some genuinely natural talent, their self-titled debut album reaches into the grab bag of '70s psychedelic-acid rock influences. Their sound is a throwback, yes, but it's clear from the get-go they're in the business of shining new light into those dark shadows of rock.

Think of The Velvet Underground and then think of The Fiery Furnaces, and then forget everything about those two bands-because what Black Mountain possesses is a somewhat intangible...otherness. Each track, many longer than six minutes, is a mini-epic unto itself. Distorted, rangy guitars build walls of seemingly impenetrable sound, only to be smashed down by lead singer Stephen McBean's freewheeling vocals. Yeah, these guys are reveling in their Rockdom, and it shows in their best track "Druganaut"-a risky little adventure that produces such a hodgepodge of ideas, that even after several listens we're still surprised with the direction it takes.

In "Heart of Snow," guitarist Amber Wells steps up to the mic and laments on the harsh winters and distant valleys (oh, Canada, your weather is so forlorn!) in ways that, surprisingly, don't leave us out in the cold. There's also a non-obtrusive kind of homage to the Rolling Stones with "No Satisfaction." The rowdy song breaks the ice and lets the other band members in for the game, and most importantly, gives us a short respite from all the somber stonewall.

Black Mountain's four-song EP Druganaut, their most recent release, takes the two standouts from the full-length-"No Satisfaction" and "Druganaut"-and tampers with them in a way that will make you appreciate, yet prefer, the originals more. "Druganaut" here is stretched out laboriously to eight-plus minutes, watering it down with superfluous and unwanted repetitions. Their motive for trying a longer version out for size seems unfounded. Gratefully, the camped-up version of "No Satisfaction" doesn't try to re-invent the wheel-it's just a tad rowdier, and a bit more unhinged. And still a lot of fun. The two originals hit and miss: "Bicycle Man" is so good, you'll swear you've heard it before, which partly makes up for the unfocused and lifeless "Buffalo Swan," the EP's obvious ugly duckling that offers little to an otherwise stellar repertoire.

Even though McBean is clearly running the show here with his uncompromising approach, there's definitely a unique collaboration going on. And it engages us with such a full-bodied and ambidextrous sound-we're grinning on what they can, and will, pull off next. Kevin Taylor