Baked Goods :
Brooklyn's Apestaartje label has been one to watch over the last couple of years, operating a similar music policy to Taylor Deupree's 12k but with a stronger leaning towards electro-acoustic works with an emphasis on live instrumentation. The Mountains are the duo of label owners Brendon Anderegg and Koen Holtkamp who operate elsewhere on the label as Anderegg and Aero. The sound of Mountains emits via instrumentation from the worlds of americana, folk and modern classical music given a subtle electronic filtering mixed with shimmering field recordings. Often sounding like classic Apollo era Brian Eno recorded during a tropical downpour, while at others bringing to mind the glorious sun-drenched layering of genre-master Fennesz, this album evokes the feeling you had as a child when opening boxed presents only to find another box inside and then another ... until you finally reach the gemstone kept heavily under wraps. Housed in a unique styled digipak, this album transcends all usual superlatives and is a definite highlight of 2005 to date. Essential purchase.

Other Music :
My friend Rob was telling me recently about how he'd spent three days bedridden with the flu and that the only music he could stand listening to during that time was the new Mountains LP. He said he'd been playing it over and over again, and for various reasons I immediately began to think about Thomas Mann's novel The Magic Mountain, and its main character Hans Castrop, who visits a Swiss sanatorium planning to rest for three weeks but who ultimately prolongs his stay for seven years, during which time he goes for a spell where he plays the phonograph obsessively. Castrop begins to philosophize about the relative nature of time as he succumbs to the slow rhythms of sanatorium life, and I do believe that the debut long player by Mountains would have suited his musings in that remote alpine retreat perfectly.

Mountains is a collaboration between Brendon Anderegg and Koen Holtkamp, the label heads behind Apestaartje records and whom you may know from their previous work as Anderegg and Aero respectively. (Koen you may also recognize from time spent on our sales floor.) I'm pleased to announce that their new work eclipses all of their previous efforts, as it is always gratifying to a listener when artists, as they say, take it to the next level. Through their combined efforts they've succeeded in creating the greatest electronic album I've heard since Fennesz's Endless Summer. Like that particular album, this one reaches beyond the boundaries of its genre. Too many so-called experimental records are simply content to wallow in a self-inflicted ghetto-isation, never bothering to attempt to bridge the gap between what can be listenable and still artistically forward-thinking and compelling. So what we have here is a rare feat indeed, four slowly unfolding tracks that are artfully and meticulously constructed and which use computers and layers of field recordings as well as various and sundry live instruments to provide a palpable humanness.

The pace of these recordings allows for an immeasurable grandeur that places it at the forefront of a new new age music, one with impeccable taste and sensitivity devoid of corny Aquarian sentiments and perfectly suited for our time. New age like John Fahey was new age in his time perhaps. Mentioning Fahey is apropos here as his influence can be felt noticeably on the second track which, after some initial celestial ringing tones, moves onto a much more earthy realm with lovely fingerpicked guitar playing that becomes near virtuosic by the end of the song. In this instance, and like in most great art, Mountains makes a nod at the past as it confronts the future. [MK] 03/29/05

New York Times :
Brendon Anderegg and Koen Holtkamp recently released “Mountains” (Apestaartje), a mesmerizing – and very quiet – CD on which the main instruments are a softly plucked acoustic guitar, ambient electronic sounds and, to quote the liner notes, “field recordings.” It’s not a CD likely to top the charts, but it has been a minor success. (The label recently sold out it’s initial run and has ordered more.) It’s also, in an odd way, likely to be much more useful than most CD’s you own. The densest book, the thorniest task, the hardest night, the gentlest morning: this diffident-but-never-bland disc can accompany just about any activity, or inactivity. You can lose yourself in the constantly shifting sounds (elegiac chords, glimmering tones) and textures (fine mists of white noise, whirring rhythms). Or, just as easily, you can ignore them. 08/25/05

Stylus Magazine :
Originally devised as an outlet for live performances, Mountains consists of Brendon Anderegg and Koen Holtkamp, who are also cofounders of Apestaartje Records. If you are familiar with any of the label’s output—be it the gradual digital drones of Fourcolor, Collin Olan’s layered field recordings, or the feedback manipulations of Nicholas Collins—you already have a feel for the sounds contained on Mountains’ self-titled debut. ?
Unsurprisingly, Mountains—a four track, 57 minute audio journey—begins in a subtle, unassuming fashion. “Paper Windmill” enters with sustained keyboard notes and elongated tones that seem to hang and linger in the air before being accented by plucks of acoustic guitar and the drone of a cello. As the track saunters past a quarter of an hour, it eventually fades into a section that recalls the familiar pinpoint of Eno’s ambient-era material. ?
This, essentially, is what Mountains sounds like in its entirety. It is a hushed, minimal style that has populated much of the underground electronic world in the past few years and has seemingly overtaken much of the aural terrain that was once occupied by techno and its kin. Fellow US label 12K, Raster-Noton in Germany, and Spekk in Japan have also contributed this to new genre of electro-acoustics, but despite the fact that Mountains subscribe to this school of thought, the duo still retain an always inviting, delicate pop edge. ?Paring down the electronic synthesis, “Down Under the Manhattan Bridge Overpass” most overtly supports this claim, with flecks of spare acoustic guitar approaching one of John Fahey’s drawn out passages. The refined tones that sink beneath the dominant guitar notes create a surprisingly warm and fragile counterpart to the humanity present in the acoustics. This, however, may be Mountains greatest asset: to approximate the blemished, natural sounds of an acoustic guitar through digital means. ?
The duo capitalize on this fact by saving their best track for last with “Sunday 07.25.04 Live at Tonic.” This live recording sits accurately alongside their studio-centric material, but there seems to be a sense of purpose to build towards a climax or a momentous event not conveyed on the other three tracks. “Sunday” initially constructs subtle field recordings of whispering rainfall and swells of passing wind into lattice of beautiful sound before a crescendo of swirling fragments and soft noise that sounds like it was siphoned from Fennesz’s Endless Summer overtake them. The bright drones and sun-streaked pieces of sound that comprise this track create a glorious end to an already stunning debut record. ??As much minimalism as it is Americana, Mountains have crafted an intriguing world of sound on their self-titled recording and an interesting addition into digitally-scarred electro-acoustic works. In this style, by relocating their approach to more conventional territory, Mountains, conversely, end up defying many of the standards inherent in experimental electronics. It is an irony that adds an absorbing theoretical dynamic to the music, but, fortunately, the sound itself can more than carry its own weight. Reviewed by Ryan Potts 08/09/2005

Dusted Magazine :
Mountains is the newest project from Koen Holtkamp and Brendon Anderegg, a duo that makes up half of the Brooklyn-based Apestaartje collective, a label dedicated to "gradual music and active listening." Musically, the two have worked together before under the name Aero & Anderegg, with each person also releasing solo projects in addition to their duties as label heads. Both sonically and aesthetically, many of the labels' releases come across as American-based analogues to Jon Wozencroft's Touch label - warm, evolving sounds that combine acoustic instrumentation with computer processing, tied together with carefully designed packaging mostly coming from the in-house design team col_r (run by Holtkamp in conjunction with Chi Hyun Kim). That the label isn't a more well-known name is rather surprising, as those responsible for planning and designing the releases take great pains to unify everything visually and aurally in ways that few labels can match.

Mountains’ self-titled release collects four long pieces that seem like exemplary case studies in "gradual music and active listening." Nothing here is immediately apparent - Holtkamp and Anderegg are intent on taking the most scenic route possible from point A to B, beginning with subtle acoustic guitars or pianos slowly manipulated into gorgeous enveloping drones or enhanced with graceful field recordings. Opener "Paper Windmill" takes these basic elements on a slow stroll; the guitars gently, complement simple piano notes and sustained cello phrases as pastoral field recordings gradually weave things together. Things slowly develop into a shimmering drone, albeit one that is carefully assembled in a way that allows all elements to shine - unabashed melodicism mingles with more experimental composition techniques without either element managing to dominate.

"Down Under the Manhattan Bridge Overpass" pursues a somewhat different tactic. Here, a more ominous acoustic melody takes center stage, going from sparse finger picking to more urgent figures while providing an interesting contrast to the complementing drones and aquatic recordings that pulse throughout. Its 16 minutes cascade by in less than a heartbeat, making for one of the most evocative and breathtaking stretches on the album. "Blown Glass Typewriters" takes a more low key approach, spending its time ruminating on a series of clicks, faintly processed instruments, and more laconic acoustic guitars.
The only real misstep on the album comes with the finale, "Sunday 07.25.04 Live at Tonic." Initially focusing on more low end rumblings than anything else, the first half of the track breaks the continuity that had been so diligently established. It does eventually come around in the last 10 minutes or so, but still seems like it would have been better suited for inclusion on a different record, or at the very least done with some tighter editing.

There is little that is particularly groundbreaking about Mountains' music, but that hardly detracts from the end result - impeccably crafted, often gorgeous tunes that appease quickly in their overt melodicism, and yet contain layer upon layer of studious detail that reveals itself only after multiple listens. Holtkamp and Anderegg manage to comb through so many different textures and styles of folk, electronic, and modern composition, and yet always maintain strong, individual voices that never fall into the pitfalls of simplistic genre exercises. Far from being just the debut of a new project, Mountains represents an excellent snapshot of the continuing evolution of two creative, talented and confident collaborators. 06/19/05

Piano Magic :
Initially a live experimental collaboration between Apestaartje label cofounders, Brendon Anderegg and Koen Holtkamp. Mountains has trickled onto record and the results are warm and fuzzy. Counter-harmonic drones backbone acoustic instrumentation, pastoral field recordings and live sampling. It’s an absorbing combination that demands you stop what you’re doing and just listen. A record of depth, innovation, kindliness and beauty. Highly recommended

Smallfish :
I've been banging on about Apestaartje for some time and it's incredibly nice to finally get this most recent release. A collaboration between Brendon Anderegg and label owner Koen Holtkamp (otherwise known as Aero), it concerns itself with the combining of acoustic, live influences and a more electronic, experimental feel. Four pieces of work which are dominated by a truly wondrous sense of space and melody plus subtle layers of sound and skillful instrumentation. Simply put, if you're a fan of 12k, Spekk, Plop, List or the other Apestaartje releases (and I know I am) you absolutely must check this delightful album out.

De:Bug :
Anderegg und Label-Chef Koen sind Mountains. Gemeinsam liefern sie sich dem Wunsch aus, eine leise Platte aufzunehmen, auf der das Zirpen der Zikaden genauso laut sein darf, wie das E-Piano, das Cello oder der Synth, nicht zu vergessen die Gitarre. Vier lange Tracks sind am Ende dabei entstanden, denen man den Wunsch der akademischen Akzeptanz immer anhört, die aber mit soviel Wärme, detailverleibter Traurigkeit und Spürsinn für Weite alles andere als schwer zugänglich sind. Ein warmes, herzergreifendes Album, vielleicht das größte seit “Music For Airports”.