Details
Track Listing
1. Overglazed
2. Bang On
3. Night of Joy
4. We're Gonna Rise
5. German Studies - (German)
6. Spark
7. Istanbul
8. Walk It Off
9. Regalame Esta Noche - (Spanish)
10. Here No More
11. No Way
12. It's the Love
13. Mountain Battles
| Details | | Distributor: | Alternative Dis. Alliance | | Recording Type: | Studio | | Recording Mode: | Stereo | | SPAR Code: | n/a |
Album Notes
The Breeders: Mando Lopez, Jose Medeles, Kelley Deal, Kim Deal.
Nearly six years after 2002's TITLE TK, much of which was spent touring with the studio-shy Pixies, Kim Deal reconvened the Breeders for the on-again/off-again alt-rock act's fourth full-length album, MOUNTAIN BATTLES. Consisting largely of the same line-up as its predecessor--including Kim's sister, Kelley--the record is another willfully quirky outing, with Deal recalling early Jane's Addiction-era Perry Farrell in the echoing vocals of "Overglazed," then later breathily cooing over the woozy arrangements of "We're Gonna Rise" and "Spark." A return to the venerable 4AD label, MOUNTAIN BATTLES nods to all past Breeders outings, particularly the eclectic LAST SPLASH, presenting the sound of a restless band cruising on its sonic whims. Though this approach occasionally backfires (see the inessential Spanish-language tune "Regalame Esta Noche"), it often yields fascinatingly weird pop moments, as on the seemingly nonsensical, partially a cappella "German Studies," making it an immensely fun listen.
Industry Reviews
3 stars out of 5 -- [O]ften gorgeous, as Deal's wafting voice strikes upon melodies pretty and eerie.
4 stars out of 5 -- Reprising the beautiful understated chemistry of 2002's TITLE TK, MOUNTAIN BATTLES features twin sister Kelley on guitar and East LA Rhythm section Jose Medeles and Mando Lopez.
3 stars out of 5 -- Garage-rockers 'No Way' and 'Walk It Off,' all squalling guitars and chugging rhythms, are welcome blasts...
What always lurks beneath...is vulnerability and pain, bruised emotions that manage always to nag at the heart.
Ranging from sophisticated twilight-time pop and souped-up Tex Mex to faux-country and flat-out overdriven rawk, MOUNTAIN BATTLES zigzags from one stylistic locale to the next without blinking an eye.
4 stars out of 5 -- [T]he sweetly menacing harmonies of the Deal twins pull everything together, mesmerizing on the fairytale fragility of 'Night Of Joy'...
4 stars out of 5 -- Much of the album feels like a trip around the world via a fever dream....Deal's skewed vocals, doubled and tripled in off-kilter harmonies, keep MOUNTAIN BATTLES on the dark side.
3.5 stars out of 5 -- STeve Albini, among other producers, keeps things raw; indeed, the record's primitive art punk sometimes echoes Nirvana.
3 stars out of 5 -- It's an album of many moods and styles, bound together with a gentle sense of triumph as the Deals effortlessly regain their place at the summit of the alt.rock pile.
CMJ These surprisingly mellow songs were written over six years...most of them retain the scruffy, raw production of their past efforts...
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