Mountain Battles

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Mountain Battles
Mountain Battles.jpg
Studio album by
ReleasedApril 7, 2008
RecordedElectrical Audio, Chicago;
Stagg Street Studio, Van Nuys;
Manny's Studio, Los Angeles;
Refraze Recording Studio, Dayton;
as well as basement recordings
Length36:42
Label4AD
The Breeders chronology
Title TK
(2002)
Mountain Battles
(2008)
Fate to Fatal (EP)
(2009)
Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic75/100[1]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic4/5 stars[2]
Blender3/5 stars[3]
Entertainment WeeklyC[4]
Mojo4/5 stars[5]
NME8/10[6]
Pitchfork Media7.5/10[7]
Q3/5 stars[8]
Rolling Stone3.5/5 stars[9]
Spin4/5 stars[10]
Under the Radar5/10[11]

Mountain Battles is the fourth studio album by the American band the Breeders, released in the UK on April 7, 2008, and in the US on April 8. The album was gradually recorded in a number of different locales including Refraze Recording Studios in Dayton Ohio by engineers including Steve Albini, Erika Larson, and Ben Mumphrey.

Song development and recording[]

The Breeders released their previous album, Title TK, in 2002.[12] The group's line-up then consisted of Kim Deal, her twin sister Kelley Deal, Richard Presley, Mando Lopez, and Jose Medeles;[13] at the time, the group was based in Los Angeles.[12][14] That year, the Deals began demoing songs for the band's next album,[12][15] including "Regalame Esta Noche" and "No Way".[15] Meanwhile, the group went on tour in the United States and Europe.[16] The Deal sisters continued demoing songs the following year.[12] In 2004, Kim Deal's previous band, Pixies, embarked on a reunion tour,[16][17] and Kelley also traveled with the group.[18] While on the tour, the sisters worked on "Walk It Off"[12][15]—footage of them going through the song is included on the Pixies' loudQuietloud DVD.[18] Around this time, Kim and Kelley moved from Los Angeles back to their hometown of Dayton, Ohio,[14] and continued working on new compositions there,[19] including "Bang On" and "Night of Joy", which came about in the spring of 2007.[15] When developing the songs for Mountain Battles, both sisters collaborated on the arrangements.[18][20] Only Kim, who wrote the lyrics, received songwriting credits,[18] although Kelley was accorded some royalties.[18]

During the period of 2002 to 2007—concurrently with the Deals' writing and demoing—the Breeders attended sessions with a number of engineers to record the album.[21] These comprised sessions at Electrical Audio in Chicago with Steve Albini, and recording in Los Angeles and Refraze Recording Studios in Dayton Ohio with engineers including Erika Larsen, , and Ben Mumphrey.[22] By this time, Presley had left the group to sell luxury cars,[21] so the Breeders consisted of the Deal twins, Lopez, and Medeles.[21][22]

Track listing[]

All tracks are written by Kim Deal, except where noted.

No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Overglazed" 2:15
2."Bang On" 2:03
3."Night of Joy" 3:26
4."We're Gonna Rise" 3:53
5."German Studies" 2:16
6."Spark" 2:39
7."Istanbul" 2:58
8."Walk It Off" 2:46
9."Regalame Esta Noche"Roberto Cantoral2:52
10."Here No More" 2:39
11."No Way" 2:33
12."It's the Love"The Tasties2:28
13."Mountain Battles" 3:54

The Japanese release contains the following bonus track:[22]

No.TitleLength
14."German Demonstration"1:36

Personnel[]

The Mountain Battles liner notes list the following personnel who helped make the album; the liner notes do not mention which instruments the Deal sisters, Lopez, and Medeles played.[22]

Musicians[]

  • Kim Deal
  • Kelley Deal
  • Mando Lopez
  • Jose Medeles
  • Steven Medina Hüfsteter – guitar on "Regalame Esta Noche"
  • Heather Winna – marching cymbals on "Walk It Off"
  • Todd Mund – background vocals on "German Studies"

Engineering and mastering[]

  • Steve Albini – engineering
  • Erika Larsen – engineering
  • – engineering, mastering
  • Ben Mumphrey – engineering
  • Steve Rook – mastering

Art design[]

Charts[]

Chart (2008) Position
Belgian Album Chart 63[23]
French Album Chart 100[24]
UK Album Chart 46[25]
US Billboard 200 98[26]
US Independent Albums 12[27]

Notes[]

  1. ^ Mountain Battles by the Breeders: Critic Reviews (Metacritic)
  2. ^ Phares
  3. ^ "The Breeders: Mountain Battles Review". Blender: 77. April 2008.
  4. ^ Greenblatt, Leah (4 April 2008). "Mountain Battles". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved 4 September 2017.
  5. ^ "Mountain Battles Review". Mojo: 101. April 2008.
  6. ^ Elan 2008
  7. ^ Berman 2008
  8. ^ "Mountain Battles Review". Q: 126. May 2008.
  9. ^ Hermes 2008
  10. ^ Thomas 2008, p. 104
  11. ^ "Mountain Battles Review". Under the Radar: 74. Spring 2008.
  12. ^ Jump up to: a b c d e Montgomery 2008
  13. ^ Title TK liner notes
  14. ^ Jump up to: a b Kelley Deal knits up new recording
  15. ^ Jump up to: a b c d duBrowa 2008
  16. ^ Jump up to: a b Erlewine
  17. ^ Pixies to Reunite for Tour - Official!
  18. ^ Jump up to: a b c d e Trucks 2008
  19. ^ Bugg 2008
  20. ^ Wethington 2008
  21. ^ Jump up to: a b c Ganz 2007
  22. ^ Jump up to: a b c d Mountain Battles liner notes
  23. ^ The Breeders: Mountain Battles (Ultratop.be)
  24. ^ The Breeders: Mountain Battles (Lescharts.com)
  25. ^ Breeders: Albums
  26. ^ The Breeders: Top 200
  27. ^ The Breeders: Independent Albums

References[]

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