[koolthing78]

First off:
"I like it"
"It's bad"
What's the difference between these two statements?
If something is stated as fact, please give supporting evidence to help substantiate your case, other than simply rephrasing the original idea ("it's bad because the song writing is bad," etc.)
If all you have to say is that it's terrible, and you have nothing more to add, then there's really no reason to keep posting in this thread. We know your OPINION, thanks.
That being said, if "Mountatin Battles" had been released by some obscure new band without any of the Breeders expectations, I wonder if people would feel differently. And I'm not even talking good expectations, necessarily--even if you thought "Last Splash" was mediocre at best, there's still the sentiment of "and here they're even worse at executing what they were going for!" But what if you ignore everything they've done previously, including the Pixies? What if this was the new album from some alt-country group, that never had any intention of trying to recreate the sound of the Pixies or Pod or anything? I really don't see how people who consider themselves open-minded music conniseurs can dismiss the subtle textures and lyrical honesty as "bad songwriting" (especially without citing any actual details to support their claim). Did people really expect something called "Mountain Battles" would be exhuberant and fun, especially given the history of the Deal sisters? It's a song-by-song documentation of the struggle to remain clean, to find joy in the simple, mundane details of day to day living. These aren't songs for the sake of songs, with grandiose structures and over-thought out attempts to write crowd-pleasing hits, and you can tell that they really had no intention of trying to convince anyone otherwise. This album is the diary of a troubled, neurotic thinker, who's only goal was to create something 100% honest and real, with no pretenses or compromises for the sake of making something that "sounds better." And to that end, they've succeded at doing what few other artists in today's musically self-conscious climate have. "You want another "Pod"? Fuck you. You want another "Gigantic"? Fuck you. You want another *anything*? Fuck you. This is what my life sounds like, and it's ugly. And pretty. And sad. And happy. And boring, and fun, and anything else I might be feeling at a particular moment. So deal with it. Or don't--I could really give a fuck."