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It’s probably unfair, but it is what it is: I tend to think of the words “Kim Deal” and “high maintenance” as synonymous. Deal’s ego has been writing checks that her talent has been incapable of covering since she was engaged in studio death matches with Black Francis during the days of The Pixies. Egged on, ironically enough, by the esteemed heroin addict Kurt Cobain (his proclamation that Deal’s composition Gigantic was the best Pixies’ song, and that he wished they’d record more of her work, was the dynamite in the fissure that ultimately led to the breakup of the band), Deal, in the manner of Stephen Stills, has built a career around one band, The Breeders, and Cannonball, one great song. At least up until now.

The Breeders new CD, Mountain Battles, is not a reunion CD, lack of output from the band after lo these several years notwithstanding; you can’t reunite a band that never really broke up, and the myriad personnel changes which the band has gone through over its rocky course would fill a couple of studios. What becomes evident after listening to Mountain Battles a number of times is that Deal is developing as a talent, albeit at a  somewhat glacial speed.

Mountain Battles took a couple of years to record, and the result is a project that hangs more than hangs together, at least initially. It does not begin with a whole lot of promise, as if  Deal wanted to chase the folks away who might have accidentally wandered into the room so that she could play exclusively to the hard core faithful. There is some unfortunate self-absorption ( We’re Gonna Rise) and self-indulgence (Overglazed, Spark) which will come as no surprise to those who have followed the band. In this age of digital releases, Deal might be better served releasing tracks one at a time. There is a druggy sleepiness that hangs over Mountain Battles, particularly throughout the first several tracks. “No counsel, no grand strategy/no sword to fall on,” Deal sings on We’re Gonna Rise. Indeed. Those looking for the joy, the aggression, of Cannonball are going to be sorely disappointed. Again. We’re Gonna Rise, for just a moment, sounds like it’s going to take off, but is a barroom dicktease, as what promises to be a thunderous guitar solo peters (heh heh) out.

But don't dash yet. That’s not to say the entirety of Mountain Battles is a downer. German Studies is a lot of fun, a discordant, disjointed breath of fresh air in the midst of the unfortunate soporific mopiness. And Istanbul is an exotic sounding track, a multilayered, textured piece built around a percussive-based rhythm that stretches Deal and her bandmates creatively. And you know what? Maybe there is a Cannonball on Mountain Battles; Walk It Off  might be the contender, a medium paced rocker with a low down, sinister riff that shows what happens when Deal quits taking herself to seriously and follows her soul. A close second would be No Way, where deal trots out her rock credentials with a tune that begins with a whole lot of promise and delivers on every bit of it.  And did someone mention The Pixies? If Regalame Esta Noche was not written with the a reunion project in mind, it should have been. Sung in espanol, Regalame Esta Noche has lots of understated but shimmering guitar picking floating around in the mix. It’s The Love could have filled the bill as well, reminiscent of  the way that Deal would bring to the proposition that maybe, just maybe, she could beat Black Francis at his own game. And Here No More. What a beautiful tune. Just Deal and sister Kelly (right?), singing harmonies over a simple acoustic guitar chord progression. Considering that The Breeders ostensibly began as a folk music duo, Here No More brings them around full circle.

While Mountain Battles may not be the breakthrough that fans of the Deal and The Breeders had been hoping for, it’s a fulfillment of a sort of the promise that Deal has demonstrated for over two decades. She is at her best when she doesn’t take herself so seriously and just lets loose. Mountain Battles may not be a major deal, but it’s a big one.