I can feel it
The Breeders, Mountain Battles (36:42). You know how guys fantasize about doing two sisters at once? In high school my fantasies were about Kim and Kelley Deal. And my German teacher. Frau war heisse.
1. Overglazed (2:15)
Side one, track one. Perfect choice. This is going to be stuck in my head for weeks. Months, if I can manage it.
2. Bang On (2:03)
A strong follow-up with more rock and less shoegaze. Play it when you're shaving.
3. Night Of Joy (3:26)
Slows down the album in just the right place. One of only three tracks longer than three minutes.
4. We're Gonna Rise (3.53)
Another slow piece breaking three minutes. "Rise" turns it up for a few seconds near the end. A solid offering and not-terrible sweeping up after "Night."
5. German Studies (2:16)
Sounds like classic Breeders - in German. Good stuff.
6. Spark (2:39)
Meh.
7. Istanbul (2:58)
This track flirts dangerously with three minutes but manages to pace itself nicely. Well played, Istanbul. Not a cover of the They Might Be Giants song, thankfully, and a good closer for the A side.
8. Walk It Off (2:46)
This belongs next to "We're Gonna Rise." Probably after it, pushing "German Studies" back a notch. I'm all for rocking the B side, but the B side is exactly where "Spark" belongs. "Walk It Off" is a class-act and shouldn't get lost in the shadows.
9. Regalame Esta Noche (2:52)
I don't speak Spanish.
10. Here No More (2:39)
At this length, you might as well add another thirty or forty seconds so I've got some warning of what I'm getting into. It's not bad, it's just tempting me to hit the skip button.
11. No Way (2:33)
This is how you rock the B side.
12. It's The Love (2:28)
As is this. With "No Way," it makes a strong ending for the album.
13. Mountain Battles (3:54)
There's really nowhere else for this to go except clean-up. This song is a great closer. It edges out "We're Gonna Rise" by one second to claim Longest Song Up In Here and I can respect that kind of determination, pushing everything to the wire.
Mountain Battles is a solid effort from the Deals, the only returning members. It's definitely worth the thirty-seven minutes to hear. The only real weak spot is "Spark," which doesn't belong on side one and may not belong on the album at all. If ever a song could be called filler, that's it. A lot of the tracks come off with a shoegaze feel but that's not always a bad thing, and there's enough of the old sound to remind you who you're listening to. Edgewise Online has a review pulled from the release party video I linked earlier. The album is available in whole or a la carte at the BG website and Amazon, which is more expensive. You can preview the songs on the Amazon page, or listen to the whole thing on the Breeders MySpace page.
The Breeders, Mountain Battles (36:42). You know how guys fantasize about doing two sisters at once? In high school my fantasies were about Kim and Kelley Deal. And my German teacher. Frau war heisse.
1. Overglazed (2:15)
Side one, track one. Perfect choice. This is going to be stuck in my head for weeks. Months, if I can manage it.
2. Bang On (2:03)
A strong follow-up with more rock and less shoegaze. Play it when you're shaving.
3. Night Of Joy (3:26)
Slows down the album in just the right place. One of only three tracks longer than three minutes.
4. We're Gonna Rise (3.53)
Another slow piece breaking three minutes. "Rise" turns it up for a few seconds near the end. A solid offering and not-terrible sweeping up after "Night."
5. German Studies (2:16)
Sounds like classic Breeders - in German. Good stuff.
6. Spark (2:39)
Meh.
7. Istanbul (2:58)
This track flirts dangerously with three minutes but manages to pace itself nicely. Well played, Istanbul. Not a cover of the They Might Be Giants song, thankfully, and a good closer for the A side.
8. Walk It Off (2:46)
This belongs next to "We're Gonna Rise." Probably after it, pushing "German Studies" back a notch. I'm all for rocking the B side, but the B side is exactly where "Spark" belongs. "Walk It Off" is a class-act and shouldn't get lost in the shadows.
9. Regalame Esta Noche (2:52)
I don't speak Spanish.
10. Here No More (2:39)
At this length, you might as well add another thirty or forty seconds so I've got some warning of what I'm getting into. It's not bad, it's just tempting me to hit the skip button.
11. No Way (2:33)
This is how you rock the B side.
12. It's The Love (2:28)
As is this. With "No Way," it makes a strong ending for the album.
13. Mountain Battles (3:54)
There's really nowhere else for this to go except clean-up. This song is a great closer. It edges out "We're Gonna Rise" by one second to claim Longest Song Up In Here and I can respect that kind of determination, pushing everything to the wire.
Mountain Battles is a solid effort from the Deals, the only returning members. It's definitely worth the thirty-seven minutes to hear. The only real weak spot is "Spark," which doesn't belong on side one and may not belong on the album at all. If ever a song could be called filler, that's it. A lot of the tracks come off with a shoegaze feel but that's not always a bad thing, and there's enough of the old sound to remind you who you're listening to. Edgewise Online has a review pulled from the release party video I linked earlier. The album is available in whole or a la carte at the BG website and Amazon, which is more expensive. You can preview the songs on the Amazon page, or listen to the whole thing on the Breeders MySpace page.
