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Mountaintops (album)

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Mountaintops
The cover features a mountain being partially covered by dots. The band's name and album title are centered on the cover, colored in black.
Studio album by
ReleasedSeptember 13, 2011
Studio
  • Studio 1973 (Brooklyn)
  • Tarquin Studios (Bridgeport)
GenreIndie pop
Length37:23
LabelBarsuk
ProducerMates of State
Mates of State chronology
Crushes (The Covers Mixtape)
(2010)
Mountaintops
(2011)
Greats
(2015)

Mountaintops is the seventh album by American indie pop band Mates of State. It was released through Barsuk on September 13, 2011.[1] The song "Palomino" was featured in a 15-second Ice Breakers commercial where a man and a woman share a cab in a rainy night.

Reception

[edit]
Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic74/100[2]
Review scores
SourceRating
The A.V. ClubB+[3]
AllMusic[4]
Consequence of SoundC+[5]
Paste8.1/10[6]
Pitchfork7.1/10[7]
PopMatters5/10[8]
Robert ChristgauA−[9]
Spin[10]
Sputnikmusic3.0/5.0[11]

Mountaintops received generally favorable reviews from music critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album received an average score of 74, based on 18 reviews.[2]

Robert Christgau gave it an A− and wrote that "the wholeness of the music leaves us feeling they're more than OK."[9] Spin gave the album a 7/10, writing, "Mountaintops has plenty of upbeat romps, but the most compelling moments are the epic, minor-key laments 'At Least I Have You' and 'Unless I'm Led,' which argue that even the truest of loves can still feel lonely and miserable."[10]

Paste placed Mountaintops at number 49 on their "Top 50 Albums of 2011" list. The magazine's writer Carey Hodges said: "On Mountaintops, the band's seventh full-length, the pair delivers more of their polished pop while tastefully showcasing a handful of warped turns that partner lush synths with minor-key experiments."[12]

Track listing

[edit]

All tracks are written by Mates of State

No.TitleLength
1."Palomino"4:54
2."Maracas"3:22
3."Sway"3:34
4."Unless I'm Led"5:21
5."Total Serendipity"3:40
6."Basement Money"3:32
7."At Least I Have You"3:34
8."Desire"2:47
9."Change"2:38
10."Mistakes"4:01

Personnel

[edit]

Credits adapted from the album's liner notes.[13]

Mates of State

  • Jason Hammel
  • Kori Gardner

Additional musicians

  • John Panos – horns (5, 8, 10)
  • Kenji Shinagawa – guitars (5, 7, 8)
  • Ryan Breen – guitar (1)

Technical

Imagery

  • Jeremy Paul Beasley – artwork, packaging

References

[edit]
  1. ^ Coplan, Chris (June 9, 2011). "Mates of State announce new album, Mountaintops". Consequence of Sound. Archived from the original on January 17, 2023. Retrieved July 7, 2011.
  2. ^ a b "Mountaintops by Mates of State". Metacritic. Archived from the original on March 10, 2016. Retrieved November 9, 2014.
  3. ^ Phipps, Keith (September 13, 2011). "Mates Of State: Mountaintops". The A.V. Club. Archived from the original on April 1, 2024. Retrieved April 1, 2024.
  4. ^ Sendra, Tim. "Mountaintops - Mates of State". AllMusic. Archived from the original on February 19, 2023. Retrieved April 1, 2024.
  5. ^ Kivel, Adam (September 22, 2011). "Album Review: Mates of State - Mountaintops". Consequence of Sound. Archived from the original on January 20, 2024. Retrieved April 1, 2024.
  6. ^ Hodges, Carey (September 14, 2011). "Mates of State: Mountaintops". Paste. Archived from the original on October 6, 2022. Retrieved April 1, 2024.
  7. ^ Zoladz, Lindsay (September 12, 2011). "Mates of State: Mountaintops". Pitchfork. Archived from the original on March 1, 2024. Retrieved September 12, 2011.
  8. ^ Fairall, Jer (September 22, 2011). "Mates of State: Mountaintops". PopMatters. Archived from the original on June 3, 2023. Retrieved November 9, 2014.
  9. ^ a b Christgau, Robert. "CG: mates of state". RobertChristgau.com. Retrieved December 2, 2013.
  10. ^ a b Tedder, Michael (September 13, 2011). "Mates of State, 'Mountaintops' (Barsuk)". Spin. Archived from the original on June 8, 2023. Retrieved April 1, 2024.
  11. ^ Klap, Rudy (September 8, 2011). "Mates of State - Mountaintops (album review)". Sputnikmusic. Archived from the original on April 1, 2024. Retrieved April 1, 2024.
  12. ^ Jackson, Josh (November 29, 2011). "The 50 Best Albums of 2011". Paste. Archived from the original on March 28, 2023. Retrieved April 1, 2024.
  13. ^ Mountaintops (liner notes). Mates of State. Barsuk. 2011. BARK 119.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)