During the early 2000s -- when the Pixies' "rediscovery age" raged through the indie rock scene -- thousands of critics and music fans were pointing admiring fingers their way and claiming they were the progenitors of modern indie rock. In reaction to this, the band came together after a 10-year hiatus for an incredibly successful reunion tour that ended up lasting several years.
The Pixies's bassist Kim Deal's involvement in this reunion partially explains the six-year gap between The Breeders' Mountain Battles and 2002's Title TK, though there was nearly a decade between the latter and its predecessor, Last Splash. It's clear that the members of The Breeders have a relaxed approach to making music.
The music of Mountain Battles confirms this. Instead of a blast of the upbeat rock listeners found on Last Splash and their early masterpiece Pod, the music of Battles takes a much subtler approach that requires multiple listens to sink in. This sort of material has garnered mixed reactions from both critics and fans. Some reviewers praise the album as a surprising and successful change in form, while others condemn it as a sleeper album lacking the energy of their previous work. The new approach that the Deal sisters take, however, makes for an understated but fresh sound for the band.
With 13 songs spanning only 36 minutes, Battles is relatively brief, though the sparseness of the music gives the album a drawn-out feeling. The songs are all over the place, jumping from genre to genre with stunning ease. "Overglazed," the opener, uses echoed vocals and cymbal crashes to border along the psychedelic. The album then moves into a funky hand-clapper with "Bang On" and then moves right into the beautifully quiet "Night of Joy." The movement through this large diversity of styles creates an odd cohesiveness for the Deal twins' music.
Mountain Battles continues this ADD pattern right through to the end. Some of the group's strongest songs are scattered throughout. "We're Gonna Rise" is a slow-moving guitar piece that builds to an intense climax. "Walk It Off" is the disc's most straightforward rocker and shows that the group can still write a catchy pop song. "Regalame Esta Noche" is the album's ballad, a cover delivered in a Spanish swoon by Kim. "Here No More" is a simple acoustic song that sounds like it could have easily found its home on an old Johnny Cash record.
These highlights are interspersed with strange little songs like "German Studies" and "Istanbul" that shoot in right from left field, making Battles the quirkiest Breeders album to date. They also help to make it endearing. Once listeners get over the weirdness of Mountain Battles, they will love it. Kim Deal's voice is one of the most comforting in the music industry, and it's a nice thing to have such a bizarre return from a group with such strong songwriting skills. Don't let the detractors keep you from enjoying this subtle gem.
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