Pink Mountaintops: Get Back

By rights, Pink Mountaintops should be a cluttered sonic mess. This brainchild of Steve McBean (of similarly haphazard Vancouver collective Black Mountain) has a revolving door policy, which means that any number of guests have comprised their line-up since 2003. Nonetheless, album No 4 is an enjoyable mini-rock'n'roll odyssey, taking in jangly indie riffs (Through All the Worry), 1970s new wave (Sell Your Soul) and louche glam rock (Sixteen) with an admirably self-assured poise. McBean's amusing nonchalance is a highlight, although his composure is offset by Annie Hardy of Giant Drag and mystifying X-rated rap verse on North Hollywood Microwaves. Hardy's tangential ramble doesn't make much sense, yet it somehow slides into Get Back's tracklisting with ease. A miscellany of rock sounds that is neither life-changing nor era-defining, but gratifying all the same. pinkmountaintops.com
Download: Sell Your Soul, The Last Dance