Continuing the "ex-Pixies members releasing a record in April" theme, The Breeders dropped Mountain Battles three weeks ago. If you haven't been following the Breeders (maybe you don't even remember "Cannonball"), I will recap for you here: Pod – Fantastic, but badly mastered; Last Splash – Wonderful, see esp. "Drivin' On 9"; Title TK – I almost cried.
Quick test to see if you would like the Breeders (assuming you have some real basic Pixies material): Listen to "Gigantic" and ask yourself "would I like to hear this voice singing inside my head?" If the answer is yes, you're in.
So, Mountain Battles. Title TK is a hard act to follow. It is a record-that-lives-in-my-car. Mountain Battles is not Title TK. It's a little less like having Kim Deal singing softly into your ear at night and a little more like going to see an obscure but well regarded band at one of the few venues in San Francisco that has parking figured out. It's a treat, but it won't make you shudder.
There are several songs that sound like The-Breeders-and-no-one-else-ever, and there are a few songs that explore new sounds and ideas (at least in the Kim Deal / Kelley Deal idiom, which includes the Amps and The Kelley Deal 6000 and a few others). It's well produced, in the sense that you can put the record on and let it run, with no jarring interruptions. I don't have a whole lot to say about it, but I have a generally pretty good feeling about the record. Perhaps you will like it.
Some Highlights:
"Overglazed" – the first song on Title TK was different and kind of memorable. The first song on Mountain Battles has been described as "not a song" by at least one other Breeders fan, but I enjoy it. I think it's a good lead into the record, whether or not you believe the lyric "I can feel it" constitutes a song.
"Night of Joy" – classic Breeders. If you liked anything on the first three Breeders records, you will probably like this. If this adverb even modifies this adjective, then it is even "slightly spooky."
"German Studies" – One of the harder tracks on the album, appropriately in German. But the vocals on this track are pure, pure Breeders. If you don't like this… it is possible that we can't be friends anymore. I just have so much less time for people than I used to. You have to draw your lines somewhere.
"Spark" – Could have been on Title TK and would have fit in pretty seamlessly. If this came on when I was out on the highway, it would calm me down.
"Walk It Off" – This is one of those songs where I like 90% of the song just ok, but every verse there is a run of about 5 seconds that I really, really like. I call these "Get Him Eat Him songs."
"It's the Love" – is not, despite the first 12 seconds, a Dinosaur Jr. song.
"Mountain Battles" – the title track, the last track on the record, and one of the most unusually instrumented songs on the record. But if you like Kim Deal's voice, you probably love this song. It's like she is standing behind you, singing into the back of your head.1
Rating: You should probably buy this record. I am 80% certain you should buy it.
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1: Kim, I am available any time you wish to do this.