Their self-titled album was chosen as one of Amazon.com's Top 100 Editor's Picks of 2005. In the Future was a finalist for the 2008 Polaris Music Prize and was also nominated for "Best Alternative Album" in the 2009 Juno Awards. The song "Stay Free" from In the Future was featured on the Spider-Man 3 soundtrack.
In 2005 the band opened for Coldplay on their Twisted Logic Tour for three weeks, with their final opening in San Diego.
In September 2010 Black Mountain performed in an amphitheater located in the woods of Oisterwijk at the Incubate (festival) in Tilburg, Netherlands.
Leader Stephen McBean also heads another similarly named band, Pink Mountaintops, who are the more experimental side of McBean's musical abilities. Black Mountain is the front line band for Black Mountain Army, a collective of musicians, artists and friends in Vancouver. In an interview the band said "Black Mountain is just the five of us. The Black Mountain Army… which has kind of gotten blown out of proportion, it was kind of just a joke, because everybody thought we were this hippie collective, like we all lived in one house. But it’s basically just our friends at home in Vancouver, just our extended family of creative people that we know."
Several members of the band have, for as long as a decade, worked for organizations that meet the basic living requirements of the chronically poor, drug addicted and mentally ill in Vancouver's Downtown Eastside neighborhood, such as Insite. In an interview, the band said: "After work we all try not to think too hard about the effect it has on our lives. It keeps us grounded."
Wilderness Heart was named as a longlisted nominee for the 2011 Polaris Music Prize.
March 11, 2014 The Black Mountain song "Wucan" was featured on season 2 of the FOX drama "The Following" during the eighth episode entitled "Messenger".
The Black Mountain song "Druganaut" is featured in a June, 2014 Father's Day commercial for J.C. Penney.
Modern Music
Black Mountain Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
A-one, two, three
Another pop explosion
A-one, two, three
Another hit recording
A-four, five six,
Seven eight, nine ten
Four, five six,
[Bridge:]
A horse was maimed
Running wild on freeway
A man was killed standing still in his doorway
That song was playing
We all said 'no way!'
That song was playing
We all said 'no way!'
[Chorus]
A-one, two, three
Another pop explosion
A-one, two, three
Another hit recording
A-four, five six,
Seven eight, nine ten
Four, five six,
Seven eight, nine ten
[Bridge]
A horse was maimed
Running wild on freeway
A man was killed standing still in his doorway
That song was playing
We all said 'no way!'
That song was playing
We all said 'no way!'
Oh we can't stand
All (of) your modern music
Oh we feel afflicted.
"Modern Music" by Black Mountain is a powerful commentary on the pervasive impact of pop music in our society. The song begins with a sarcastic counting, suggesting that every time a song hits the airwaves, it is just another "pop explosion" and "hit recording." The chorus is repeated throughout the song, signifying the regularity with which these pop songs are being churned out. The mocking tone in the chorus highlights the superficiality of modern music and how it is purely for commercial purposes.
The bridge adds a somber tone to the song as it talks about the real-life tragedies happening around the same time that these pop songs are being played. A horse running wild on the freeway gets maimed, and a man is killed standing still in his doorway. It is telling that the band mentions the song that was playing during these unfortunate events. By doing so, they suggest that the music playing is so ubiquitous that it was a backdrop to real-life tragedies that were happening. The repeated refrain "We all said no way!" in the bridge could suggest that the music was a denial of the harsh reality around us or that we were rejecting the role of pop music in creating that distraction.
The final punchline of "Modern Music" is that "we can't stand all of your modern music," and "we feel afflicted." The song suggests that the continual push of pop music is making people numb or dumb, almost like an ailment. With this lyrical turn, the song takes a darker tone, highlighting the overall disdain or dislike felt by the band towards modern music.
Line by Line Meaning
A-one, two, three
The repetitive nature of modern pop music is relentless
Another pop explosion
The ease of creating a hit pop song has led to an inundation of popular music
A-one, two, three
The same formula is used over and over to create these songs
Another hit recording
The music industry is more interested in making money off of cookie-cutter hits than promoting true artistic talent
A-four, five six,
Seven eight, nine ten
The lyrics to these pop songs are shallow and lacking in creativity or depth
Four, five six,
Seven eight, nine ten
The repeated refrain is used to further emphasize the lyrical emptiness of these songs
A horse was maimed
Running wild on freeway
The chaos of modern life can lead to tragic accidents
A man was killed standing still in his doorway
Tragedies can happen even in the most mundane and unexpected circumstances
That song was playing
We all said 'no way!'
The insipid music of the day is so pervasive that it even accompanies tragic events, reminding us of the shallow nature of contemporary culture
That song was playing
We all said 'no way!'
The repetition of this scene emphasizes the pervasive influence of modern pop music on our daily lives
Oh we can't stand
All (of) your modern music
The anger and frustration of the singer at the state of contemporary music is palpable
Oh we feel afflicted.
The singer feels burdened and unhappy with the current state of popular culture
Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: Amber Erica Webber, Jeremy Victor Schmidt, Joshua Mark Wells, Matthew Camirand, Stephen Gordon McBean
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind