If at first you don't succeed, try, try again. That old adage proved true for Black Mountain during the making of its sophomore album, "In the Future," due Jan. 22 via Jagjaguwar.

"We had tried like a year before to do some new stuff, but it just seemed that everyone was burnt out from touring," explains bassist Matt Camirand.

But not all the early sessions were scrapped. "We did use some of the tracks from the first recording that did work out," Camirand says. "But the week before we went into the studio, [we] got nine tracks written in five days, which for us is a colossal feat."

The group blazed through recording sessions at Vancouver's the Hive, taking two weeks to track and a week to mix. "It was kind of a different process, because it was live," lead guitarist/vocalist Stephen McBean says. "This one was more rehearsed, and was way more collaborative."

The result is 10 tracks of hard-hitting, '70s-inspired psychedelic rock, culminating with the 16-minute epic "Bright Lights." There are also softer moments, such as the acoustic ballad "Stay Free" and the slow, hazy "Night Walks."

Black Mountain's self-titled first album was well-received by critics and helped land the band a coveted opening slot on Coldplay's Twisted Logic tour. But the group didn't feel any pressure to get a follow-up out.

"There's no sense rushing it and putting out something mediocre," McBean says. "I think we differ from a lot of bands, who like to go into the studio after touring, because they are tight. For us, one of our strong points is spontaneity."

Black Mountain plans to spend a sizable portion of 2008 touring in support of "In the Future."