Fate to Fatal

The Breeders’ 2009 four-song EP follow-up to their 2008 full length Mountain Battles is another loose, fun and diverse collection. The title track, recorded in England, features the group’s trademarked tomfoolery, cheap, vintage keyboards spicing up the unruly unison-to-harmony lead vocals from Kim and Kelley Deal that makes them a genuinely inspired group of amateurs, never concerned with pitch but only with capturing unaffected enthusiasm. Former Screaming Trees and current Gutter Twins singer Mark Lanegan joins them for “The Last Time,” an unexpectedly moody ballad that recalls the Velvet Underground’s “Sunday Morning” in its somber demeanor. It was recorded in Kim Deal’s basement along with the EP closer, the muddy and distorted “Pinnacle Hollow.” A very un-reggae cover of Bob Marley & The Wailers’ “Chances Are,” presented with simple acoustic guitar and sparse harmony vocals, fills things out for this satisfying addition to the band’s spontaneous, unpredictable catalog.