The Breeders - Mountain Battles Out Now
07 April 08
Today sees the release of the first Breeders album since 2002's Title TK.
By turns goofy, groovy, melancholy, strung-out, catchy, atmospheric and - at times - impossibly lovely, Mountain Battles underlines that Kim Deal is a songwriter and a musician of rare intuition. Her songs move from offhand charm to emotional truth with casual grace, balancing scuffed-up noise against fraught silence; timeless structures against strange new shapes. And throughout, of course, there's Kim's unique voice - languid, urgent, bruised and beautiful.
In short, Mountain Battles captures all the bittersweet electricity of classic Breeders records like Pod and Last Splash, and still manages to break new ground.
Mountain Battles was recorded by Steve Albini at Electrical Audio in Chicago, Erika Larson at Stagg Street, Manny Nieto at Manny's Studio, at Refraze in Dayton and by Ben Mumphrey in the Basement.
The band were : Kelley Deal, Kim Deal and Title TK veterans Jose Medeles and Mando Lopez.
“(Kim) Deal is probably one of the foremost pop technicians of her generation” – Observer Music Monthly 4/5
"The Breeders remain instantly recognizable. 'Mountain Battles' is characteristically elegant, undercooked and intimate. This melancholic, warm-hearted collection is a big hug of a record" - The Times" 4/5
"Deal's bass is one of the most comforting sounds in rock, her tender, bruised-violet voice being another, and hearing her again is like meeting a good friend after a long hiatus" - The Guardian 4/5
This week, The Breeders return to the UK for their first dates since the summer of 2002 :
Tues 8th April - Glasgow ABC
Wed 9th April - Leeds Metropolitan Uni
Thurs 10th April - Nottingham Trent Uni
Sat 12th April - Sheffield Leadmill
Sun 13th April - Birmingham Academy 2
Mon 14th April - Manchester Academy 2
Wed 16th April - London Koko
Thurs 17th April - London Koko