Battles - Mirrored
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Music CD Cover
Artist: BattlesEdition: Music CD
Audio: English (Unknown)
CD Release Date: 2007-05-22
Music Label: Warp Records
Soundtracks:
- Race: In
- Atlas
- Ddiamondd
- Tonto
- Leyendecker
- Rainbow
- Bad Trails
- Prismism
- Snare Hanger
- TIJ
- RACE: OUT
Free Music Notes for Mirrored
Free Music Review: Is it live....or is it Battles?
Hit: 5 Stars
"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.
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