New From the Breeders, Nick Cave and More

MOUNTAIN BATTLES. The Breeders come back weirder than ever. Grade: B-minus

At their best, The Breeders were equal parts quirk and pop, but over the years, they have shed the pop sensibility. It has reached the point that their new album “Mountain Battles” (4AD) is essentially a collection of quirks _ some sung in German (“German Studies”), some in Espanol (“Regalameok Esta Noche”), some in weird Breeder-cheerleader language (“Istanbul.”) Sometimes the oddness generates something interesting, but more often it’s simply strange for strangeness’ sake. That may be fun for the band, but for listeners “Mountain Battles” is an adventure excursion that never leads anywhere.

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ALSO IN STORES. Nick Cave’s “Dig!!! Lazarus Dig!!!” (Anti-); the debut from Ashes Divide, “Keep Telling Myself It’s Alright” (Island), the new band from A Perfect Circle’s Billy Howerdel; British upstarts Foals’ debut “Antidotes” (Sub Pop); singer-songwriter Hayes Carll’s “Trouble in Mind” (Lost Highway); Tapes `N Tapes’ lo-fi “Walk It Off” (XL); Marie Digby’s “Unfold” (Hollywood); and the retail release of Nine Inch Nails’ “Ghosts I-IV” (The Null Corp.) compilation of instrumentals.

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SONG OF THE WEEK. Kelly Rowland’s “Ms. Kelly” (Columbia) didn’t quite catch on last year, so she’s trying again. The re-release features the sweet little single “Daylight” that sounds like a mix of `70s soul and Mary J. Blige’s recent upbeat R&B dance hits, giving Rowland a chance to shine. Throw in some clever verses from Gym Class Heroes’ Travis McCoy about Paris Hilton’s jail sentence and Rowland should have a winner this time.

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Glenn Gamboa: glenn.gamboa@newsday.com

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