battles are now NME material :/ , Although i still love them and after seeing them last Wednesday it is utterly affirmed that everyone loves the shit out of them, I have never seen every song applauded at a live concert so massively and with such admiration. They are really fun to see live. I kinda hate the fact that before I know it they will be on mtv (if it's not already, I wouldn't know) and every prick will be battering it into my ears from here to forever like jamie t or something. It's sad but it makes me like them a little less, fuck warp records.

I would not normally like a great album this quickly so I'm sure it will wear thin pretty soon. Their ep is by far the best stuff they have done, that was absolutely made concrete when I saw it performed live. The drumming, the rock out, the eclectic melodies are by far superior to mirrored minus a couple of cool more instrument orientated tracks I really like that are a little less electronica in vibe.

Snare hanger, Tij and race out I like most, some if it sounds absurdly like new don cab shoved in a battles blender.

Nothing On Tras2 though

I don't think these guys really do anything for me. If they would've been around 7 years ago, when 21-year old Germ was at the height of his love for math rock, I may feel differently, but mostly, their stuff comes off as very cold and mechanical. Probably the point, I'm sure, but what I've heard seems to have too many "hey, look how clever we are" moments.

What's weird is, as much as I should be a fan of Stanier, I can't honestly say he's ever been in a band that's really grabbed me, Helmet included. Obviously, he's an extraordinarily solid drummer, which is why, as a drummer, I find it confusing that I don't really like his style.

I'm troubled somewhat by this 'Mirrored' record. I was really looking forward to it, as Williams and Stanier are both insanely talented musicians and the main tracks on the EP's are blindingly good. However, i've listened it almost a dozen times now, skipping tracks every time and now i'm down to only playing 'Race:In', 'Atlas' (the long album version is so much better than the single edit), 'Tonto', 'Prismism', 'TIJ' and 'Race: Out'. Some of the other tracks are sort of horrible, 'Ddiamondd' in particular is one the most irritating and stupid recordings i've ever heard. How they could have listened back to it in the studio and thought 'yeah, this is good' I have absolutely no idea.

Someone somewhere on this thread commented something to the effect that this album was like a video game, and I agree in that it's an amiable enough diversion which is admittedly exciting occasionally, but you feel totally empty and hollow afterwards as it is doesn't feel like it's informed by reality or anything experiential in any way, you don't feel like you've really heard any music. That's potentially interesting, if weird for me personally, as I honestly don't understand why someone would put such an incredible amount of effort and time into creating something like that. The 'vocals' on here don't so much fill the curious void at the heart of Battles as draw your attention further to it, as it's just baby babble essentially, mouth noises as opposed to any kind of communicated utterance. Anyone? I really don't get it.

Whoops, I thought I came across another Beatles thread.

Excuse me, and carry on.

Isabelle Gall - I don't think Mirrored is as good as the EPs by a long way.

I love Battles live. I've seen them 5 times now and I've never been disapointed. But Mirrored (apart from a couple of songs) doesn't get anywhere close to how good they are.

The "mouth noises" live create a really interesting texture - but on record they just annoy me.

Neat interview with the London Paper

http://www.thelondonpaper.com/cs/Satell ... ionArticle

Really irritating record. I don't believe this hype.

Isabelle Gall wrote:...it is doesn't feel like it's informed by reality or anything experiential in any way, you don't feel like you've really heard any music. That's potentially interesting, if weird for me personally, as I honestly don't understand why someone would put such an incredible amount of effort and time into creating something like that.

You claim a prior familiarity with Williams and Stainer, so I honestly don't understand why someone would look for any kind of warmth or humanity from this music, when it's never been there before. It is mechanical prog/math rock based on loops.

Whether calculated or not, the 'vocals' serve to draw in listeners, on a superficial, video game level, who otherwise probably wouldn't be into their cold, mechanical music. Atlas is probably a lot of people's "jam" right now, so mission accomplished.

Nope, no real humanity here. It's probably best to go back and listen, once again, to the "It's My Life" '80s pop star guy mewl along, in hushed agony, to some perfectly recorded abstract jazz. Like Michael Jackson after somebody told him Bubbles hung himself.

I voted NOT CRAP, but I'm waffling. I like the new record, except for the vocalizing which is a little too whimsical for my tastes. I probably won't be listening to it a month from now. The good parts just make want to listen to American Don.

they have some good songs. stanier is an unstoppable & tight drummer.

i liked the earlier stuff better

the munchkin vocals and the tyondai braxton contributions are not so great. i like the guy that plays the deconstructed riffs in the background. ian williams is very talented but he's orifice fucking me in every hole with the fingertapped notes following the bitches brew keyboard parts. i can't decide if it makes it better or worse that he is playing them simultaneously.

the new songs I have heard would be good for wiping my ass with.

used to be NOT CRAP
have become CRAP.