MOUNTAIN BATTLES - THE BREEDERS
This ain’t your uncle’s Breeders. Kim Deal’s cheeky Pixies spinoff, which held rock radio in its sway 15 years ago with “Last Splash,” returns with its fourth studio album and first in six years. Make no mistake: The Breeders in 2008 are not festival headliner material. This quartet is more like a Midwest garage band, a vehicle for Deal’s modest pop songs void of grand aspiration. The latest batch of tunes definitely includes some keepers; the gentle atmospherics of ballad “Night of Joy” rank among her best work, while exultant opener “Overglazed” and the endearingly out-of-tune “It’s the Love” also tickle the ears. Those seeking another “Cannonball” will be out of luck. But then, “Mountain Battles” shouldn’t surprise attentive listeners.
