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Mountain Moves
by
Mountain Moves Image
Metascore
79

Generally favorable reviews - based on 16 Critic Reviews What's this?

User Score
8.1

Universal acclaim- based on 17 Ratings

  • Summary: The 14th full-length studio release for the San Francisco indie rock band features guest appearances from Awkwafina, Devin Hoff, Juana Molina, Chad Popple, Matana Roberts, Xenia Rubinos, Laetitia Sadler, The Staple Singers, and Jenn Wasner.
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Critic Reviews

Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 12 out of 16
  2. Mixed: 4 out of 16
  3. Negative: 0 out of 16
  1. Drowned In Sound
    Sep 11, 2017
    90
    A brilliant and riveting album.
  2. Exclaim
    Sep 6, 2017
    80
    This influx of new voices finds Deerhoof exploring a number of different styles and sounds, all the while keeping that chaotic exuberance they are known for.
  3. Magnet
    Sep 18, 2017
    80
    The broadest, strangest and coolest sonic canvas that Deerhoof has ever framed. [No. 146, p.52]
    All this publication's reviews
  4. Pitchfork
    Sep 8, 2017
    77
    Mountain Moves indicates that something better--something made by diverse but like-minded collaborators--might be able to come next.
  5. The A.V. Club
    Sep 8, 2017
    75
    If Mountain Moves occasionally feels disconnected, it’s because the theme upon which it hinges--injustice--is, sadly, still as broadly defined as it gets. Fortunately, that disconnectedness makes for a bright, lively listen.
  6. Record Collector
    Aug 29, 2017
    60
    Ultimately, the highlights here are those where Deerhoof are left to their own devices, as on the perky pop of Con Sordino or Kokoye, a scintillating blast of garage rock that might just be the best thing they’ve put to tape in years.
  7. Spin
    Sep 11, 2017
    60
    On the good side, there’s the spacey disco-funk of “Palace of the Governors” and “Begin Countdown.” Describing Deerhoof songs frequently forces you to invent delirious fictional bands to compare them to; the latter of these two sounds like the Meters as covered by an ensemble of Teletubbies. On a handful of songs that litter the album’s second half, however–”Sea Moves,” “Singalong Junk,” “Kokoye”--the band searches at its borders for a new sound to bring back and doesn’t find anything very interesting.

See all 16 Critic Reviews

User Reviews

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Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 0 out of 1
  2. Mixed: 1 out of 1
  3. Negative: 0 out of 1
  1. justachair
    Sep 22, 2017
    6
    There are things I love about this record, but also things I feel terribly conflictive about.
    In a way, this is Deerhoof's most accessible    There are things I love about this record, but also things I feel terribly conflictive about.
    In a way, this is Deerhoof's most accessible record, which isn't a bad thing at all: They are still delightfully weird and quirky, to a fault, but their songs have never sounded as sweet or as catchy as in "Mountain Moves", an incoherent set of songs (Like all Deerhoof records) that seems to hint at a unifying theme about an apocalyptic scenario of today's world, but especially today's america (Which makes it an interesting companion piece to Lana del Rey's Lust for Life).
    "I Will Spite Survive" featuring Jenn Wasner is one of the greatest pop songs you'll hear this year, as well as the fantastic Awkwafina-featured "Your Dystopic Creation Doesn't Fear You". However, this record is far from pop: "Begin Countdown" hints at White Stripes-inspired garage rock and math rock, whereas the weird-af but alluring "Mountain Moves" has splashes of jazz and psych rock all over it.
    And this is part of the problem with Mountain Moves: So many songs here feel like watered down Deerhoof, even when they are experimenting. The bluesy "Freedom Highway" falls flat incredibly quickly, and so many songs here feel like forgettable snippets of unfinished demos, such as "Sea Moves" and "Con Sardino". There are great tracks in here, but some serious, skippable duds that make the experience come a little bit shorter that I would've wanted.
    BEST TRACKS: I Will Spite Survive, Come Down Here & Say That, Begin Countdown, Your Dystopic Creation Does Not Fear You, Ay That's Me
    WORST TRACKS: Slow Motion Detonation, Gracias a la Vida, Sea Moves    … Expand

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