Brooklyn-based ambient/experimental rock duo Mountains formed in Chicago around the talents of Brendon Anderegg and Koen Holtkamp. Friends since middle school, the pair founded their own label in 1999 while attending the school at the Art Institute of Chicago. Apestaartje became a vehicle for both collaborations and individual projects, and eventually live performance. Mountains recorded two albums of experimental ambient music for the label that drew comparisons to Fennesz, Brian Eno, and Popol Vuh before relocating to New York City in 2008 to record the follow-up. The resulting Choral, an ethereal hybrid of electronic and acoustic instrumentation recorded in real time with a small handful of overdubs was released on the Thrill Jockey label in 2009. For their follow-up, the duo expanded their sonic palette by heading into a proper studio to record in 2010. The result was Air Museum, which was released in 2011 on Thrill Jockey. Tending away from the trend towards hyper-prolific release schedules that was key among their peers, Mountains took their time in sculpting their 2013 full-length Centralia, approaching the dense songs layer by layer and refining them over many months. ~ James Christopher Monger