Customer Reviews

Mirrored

5 star:		(14)
4 star:		(15)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(5)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

To say Battles has their own distinct sound would be an understatement. Some bands are in their own world. Battles is in their own galaxy. A galaxy ruled by mechanical sounding vocals, deep percussion, keyboards that sound like guitars, and guitars that sound like keyboards. It's not quite the Milky Way. It sounds like Turing Machine filtered through a wormhole or something. Really cool, really freaky stuff. And it's the good kind of freaky, not the "weird for the sake of weird" kind. Well, maybe some of it is weird for weird's sake. But it's enjoyable nonetheless.

At first, I wasn't too keen on this. You need to slowly let it tunnel into your consciousness over the course of a few listens. The longer songs (Atlas, Tonto, Rainbow, Tij) are the highlights here, with the other songs seeming more like science experiments as opposed to fully fleshed out songs, with perhaps a couple of exceptions. But those 4 songs, all clocking in at over 7 minutes, are the ones you'll listen to the most when you're not playing through the whole record.

I've played this album for a lot of my friends and none of them seem to know quite what to make of it. Only one flat out told me they didn't like it, but none went nuts over it either. They seemed equal parts intrigued and confused more then anything else. So take that however you want to. All I know is I keep listening to it and enjoying it. It's different, that's for sure. Not for everybody, but I would definitely keep your eye on these fellows either way. I'll never be one to criticize a band for taking chances and doing something different, and Battles is certainly one of those bands.

In these hype-machine times we live in, there's a lot of wolf cries on the "next big thing" in music. Because of this, its easy to let some of the real good things pass by when everything is the next, whatever. Not the case for BATTLES. This album, already garnering plenty of attention, is so vital right now, its making a case for the actual "next big thing", but you've heard that before haven't you. What you might not have heard, all this year anyways, is an album this original.

Following a string of well-received EP's, Battles have survived the hype machine and have come out swinging. Calling their newest full length (on Warp Records), Mirrored, an experimental tour de force, or "math rock", would be selling it far short. Its more than the percussive noodling, and vocal effects set to rhythmic beats. Its how a band can use technology and talent to their best advantage. Battles are really trying to stretch their tech savvy arms here and I don't think they realize just how far they can reach. The idea of creating these wonderful, and catchy sound textures is nothing new, they just have found a new way of presenting it. Think of it as music in the age of ipods and wires without abandoning traditional musicianship and talent. The first single, Atlas, is 70's glam stomper, packaged like T-Rex soundtracking a remake of Logan's Run. Fun, exciting and sometimes head scratching odd, all the parts of Atlas somehow add up with amazing results. Sure the tune and the entire album get major help from former Helmet drummer, John Stanier, but this is far removed from anything from that band. The members all seem to meld with the technology, becoming one with the music itself and less concerned about featuring a standout "player" in the band. Mirrored succeeds in the idea of effortless layering of synths, drums, samples, and the latest in computer production wizardry. The percussive theme continues through each track on what is surely going to be one of my albums of the summer, if not the year. This is one of those records that screams cool, yet fails to even approach pretentious, its just too good for that.

"Math rock" is usually associated with practical complexity. By this I mean that bands that are identified with the genre generally think about the way in which they can perform complex musical material in a live situation. Battles' "supergroup" pedigree includes math rock monsters such as Don Caballero and Helmet, and as a critical fan of so-called "math rock," they have piqued my curiosity since their first EP. However, I never bought any of their albums.

Then I saw the video for "Atlas," and this curiosity became a fascination. I have long been a fan of King Crimson circa 1980, and it seemed like Battles engages contemporary technology and virtuosity in the same way that Fripp and co. did on "Discipline." I immediately bought "Mirrored," and in the final weeks of 2007, it shot up my personal "album of the year" charts.

What is really fascinating and ultimately satisfying about "Mirrored" is unraveling its tapestry of execution. I love to contemplate "who" is playing "what." This form of listening is particularly stimulating when you have a band full of multinstrumentalists that sample, loop, tap, and generally thrash their way through their work.

As usual, the most publicly accessible song on the album is not necessarily the most representative. I think that "Atlas" is great. The video reflects the energy and experimentalism of the band very well. However, there are songs on the album that show "Atlas" to be the "single" that it is. "Tonto" is a beautiful piece of work, as is "Race: In" and "Tij." "Race: Out" is a fun "whack-a-mole" game of "who is playing what" and "Bad Trails" shows Battles' potential for more atmospheric work. The only work that I could offer any critique for is "Rainbows." It is wonderfully epic, and covers a great amount of musical ground, but seems a little repetitive. The same seven-minute song could potentially be done in five.

The lowdown: Battles creates highly active music that is satisfying on intellectual and accessible levels. To the passive listener, "Mirrored" may bring to mind the work of avant-garde DJ's, like DJ Shadow or BT. For the more invested listener, Battles' potential for mind-boggling virtuosity, a la King Crimson or Don Caballero, is similarly compelling. A quick YouTube search will confirm this - I dare you to check it out.

Quite simply, this is an astounding record. At first, like many others, I thought to myself, "this isn't the Battles I knew from the EPs, why would they ever take this direction?" but after a few good solid listens I realized how much of a progression this really was for them. Taking some time to go back into the past, I popped in the EP C/B to compare the likes of the two. It's phenomenal. Sure, the added vocals was a little suprise at first but after the initial shock it's obvious they weave nicely with the music and everything progressed along with the addition.

The record starts out with the pump up track "Race: In". From the moment the bass comes in that song it's clear this is an album that can't be listened to in any scattered order (though live the scattered order proved perfect, and if you get the chance, see them!) but rather straight through. There isn't a dull moment in the album from the triumphant Atlas and Tonto to the more mellow Bad Trails, ending with Race: Out as the final blow. With all of the layers and textures in this there is so much to find in every listen.

These guys know what they're doing and are pretty genious but without an open mind and a taste for experimental music you might find yourself craving more of their older music.

Let me start by saying you have not really heard anything like Mirrored. Well maybe that is a overstatement, but it is a record that is extremely left of center. It sounds like you are in the year 2075 listening to a band fronted by a refined human/robot hybrid expressing feelings that only a robot could understand. I appreciate how deliberate this album is. Mirrored uses technology in a way that retained some seriousness to the music. It doesn't really have the cheeky undertones that you will find with most electronic music. I think they have acheived that b/c they use conventional instruments as well. "Atlas" is easily one of my favorite songs of the year and has not escaped my mind yet, with its repetitive drummiing, cartoonish vocals and surprising layers. That song alone is almost worth the purchase. Battles are not for everyone but is for someone.

I never really got in to the genre called Math Rock. I am a music dork who enjoys listening to all kinds of music on an emotional and intellectual level, but Math Rockers always seem to be purely intellectual and the Battles appear to be no different. They can sure rock the interesting time signatures and the experimental vocoder stuff, but they seem to lack any genuine emotion. I don't really feel much outside of my own head when I listen to Mirrored.

I'm no lover of Math Rock so it's hard for me to really come up with a comparison of what this band sound like but I'll give it a shot. They're kind of a middle ground between electronic music and post punk stuff like Wire. They're very repetitive like electronica but they're also concerned with texture like Wire. They are also very precise which is another characteristic of Wire's later albums. But they're also kind of peppy. The vocals are indecipherable but they sound like a demented version of the It's Small World ride from Disneyland. They also kind of sound like the vocals on The Knife's Silent Shout but not as dark. It's also vaguely danceable, but I couldn't see myself busting a move to this.

What sticks out the most on this album is the drumming. Former Helmet drummer John Stanier adds a really sturdy backbone to the most of these compositions. His drumming not only adds the beat, but it adds a good bit of texture to most of these songs. This album proves how versatile Stanier is. He can do the heavy and brutal drumming from Helmet or the experimental stuff for Battles.

Music can be intriguing on a purely intellectual level. Mirrored is not something I'm liable to listen to on a regular basis, but it's interesting. I would say it's a 3 and a half star album. It really does nothing to affect me on any level outside of my own head, but it's well executed and technically speaking it's very good.

I can completely understand why this album is not for everyone. The tunes (and they are tunes) might be too noisy for some. The singer/robot's voice may not appeal to others. However, I believe if you are able to keep an open mind and ears, most will appreciate what this album is: adventurous, driving, baffling, cathartic, and not from this planet. My standout tracks are "Rainbow" and "Atlas." Check it out!

Firstly, don't believe the hype when it comes to claims of Battles being the second coming of musical Christ. Secondly, don't form your opinions about the album on the albums first single 'atlas' and thirdly, listen to a few of the members prior bands and if you do all that you'll appreciate battles all the more. Coming off the large touring success from the first 3 e.p's and the consolidated release of those e.p's on warp records battles are at the top of their game right now.

Battles consists of Ian (Don Cabalerro) Dave (lynxx) John (Helmet, Tomahawk) and Tyondai (Parts & Labor) who created a series of 3 E.P's of solid chunky math rock with call/response style guitars and crushing drums so complex that it sounds like 5 minute drum solo's. On Mirrored, you find a few minor changes in song structure and you see the band moving slightly away from the drums as the central focus of the songs to the addition of distorted and modulated vocals (a neat addition that can be found on Tyondai Braxtons previous work with Parts & Labor)and a new "dance-ability" to the tracks are whats in store for you. But it still sounds like the band you fell in love with last year. It's a very smart take on dance music, math rock and post punk. Think IDM with an all live band. Check them out live -[..] and catch a glimpse at what they do.

What is important about the band is that they could be the most commercially successful indie band of the next few years and when you see their live show you'll understand why there following is rabid about them.

Simply an amazing album. The songs wash over you like a My Bloody Valentine record and there is that level of refinement and thought put into each track as well. When Race-In finishes and the insistent thump of Atlas starts, you'll be hooked. One of 2007's best.

"This album isn't for everyone"...man, I hate when people say that but in this case I am going to say it as this album actually does fall pretty well in to that category. It is wierd at times, a bit quirky, a bit random, a bit meandering which in my opinion is its allure, yet to some it would be a turn off. This album is for people who listen to a lot of music and enjoy to hear something different. It is not for casual music listeners. It doesn't really fall in to a genre, I would not call it prog rock, I find most music labeled prog rock to be a bit naueseating to listen for any length of time. This album...does not fit in to any category which is it's true appeal it is usic for people who really "listen" to music...when it rocks, it isn't too hard and it doesn't unsult your intelligence. When there are melodies, they aren't very obvious or too adult contemporary. When it is funky dancy, it doesn't groove too much and become poppy...when it's wierd, it knows when to stop and change gears, it is a very good cd. One of the more intersting aspects of the cd is the "language" it presents or lack of any truly dechiperable "language", it is music, it is not music to promote a single, a band's look, or any apparent message...it is pure music. The album starts with some quirky beats that may actually appeal to most people until the voices chime in which are a cross between chipmunks and dwarfs, the idea here is to close your eyes, leave reality behind and enjoy the ride that Battles takes us on from this point on. On the second track of our journey we meet the voices again, however this time they are slightly less chipmunkish as if the dwarves have completely taken over..it could be called "seven nation army dwarf chant". If you stop listening to this album after these 2 tracks you have missed out on the true magic and escapism of this music, track 3 is the beginning of flashes of brilliance and compositional genius reminiscient of Zappa, and I don't use that reference lightly. This track (3) ends in a whirlwind of sound that is difficult to listen to at low volumes, I turn it up everytime with a smile and a sense I am truly experiencing something real. Track 4 - keep the volume high! This track is the highlight for me, it has everything, a great composition, the "languauge" also changes from dwarfs and chipmunks to some newly formed language reminiscient of something from "No Anchovies Please" by the J Geils Band when they reference a "strange foreign speaking nation" if you have heard that track off of "Love Stinks". The next track gets play on College radio and is good, short, melodic and probably the most accessible "easy listening: piece...a nice tune with more vocal gymnastics that closely resemble actual singing. Rainbow is the next track and if you are speaking the language of Battles at this point in the listening journey, then you are prepared to take the rest of the ride, Trails is basically an extension of Rainbow, and is definitely best listened to at high volumes in a darkened room, eyes closed. Without making this review too long, I will end it here and leave the rest of the tunes up to you to listen and to enjoy. This album is for music people and I highly reccommend it..race out...