The Breeders
Issue #35
Mountain Battles (4AD)
By Anna Breshears
Published: March 1st, 2008 | 12:28pm
There’s no need to review Kim Deal’s well-known musical past here. Everyone knows she’s a badass. Despite many lineup changes during the Breeders’ 20-year history, Deal remains the guardian of its original sonic vision. From Pod to Mountain Battles, her terse, elliptical pop, spare arrangements, and spontaneous structures have remained remarkably consistent.
Producer Steve Albini, who has been involved with the band since the beginning, recorded Battles using what he and the band refer to as the “All Wave” philosophy: a fully analog process that eliminates the use of computers and other modern digital methods. The result is an honest-sounding record with some rough edges; though, thankfully, Battles does not allow its dedication to “rawness” become a distraction, a problem with the band’s last studio effort, 2002’s Title TK.
Intro “Overglazed” is a call to arms: Deal’s declaration “I can feel it” echoes off the drone-drenched guitar and thundering drums, announcing her return to the music world. We’re immediately pulverized by savage beats, skeletal guitar, and woe-is-me lyrics on “Bang On” before being treated to the dreamy, haunting pop of “Night Of Joy.” Deal’s voice is an ever-changing animal, her girlish tone shifting from riot grrrl to chanteuse to world-weary troubadour. “German Studies,” “Walk It Off,” and “Mountain Battles” prove Deal’s rocknroll mettle with Last Splash–y riffs and more accessible structures, while “Here No More,” a folks-y Appalachian-style ballad, features delightful vocal interplay between Kim and twin sister–guitarist Kelley.
Mountain Battles is not the album to blast in the car en route to a party. It will not be the album that turns an FM-loving co-worker onto indie rock. This record is a creeper, which is to say, it wins your heart slowly and deliberately. As each track unfolds, we’re reminded that Kim Deal remains a formidable creative force.
Comments
Please login to be able to comment on this article.
more