Battles / Mirrored

I signed up for a blogger account to take a survey. A LOST survey, to be precise. Ah, to live in the modern world and have time to waste on the geeky things in life. Anyway, I had to sign up to take this survey and I figured what the hell, I may as well make some use of it. So, until I lose interest I think I will use this as a clearing house for all my inane ramblings that anyone in my personal life would be rightly uninterested in hearing. You know, a blog.


So, my first post is devoted to an album recently purchased and put on heavy rotation, Mirrored by Battles. I can't say why I am so drawn to this record, other than it is damn good. And I'm kind of in the mood for precise, unemotional music. But hell, the other record on heavy rotation right now is The National's Alligator, so maybe its just a healthy contrast.

Tracks range from lengthly math rock exercises to adrenaline rush pseudo punk to glam rock to ambient that almost all feature early Ween-style vocal manipulation and precise, computer enhanced instrumentation. Despite the seeming incompatibility of styles it all adheres quite nicely. At times I think they sound like TV on the Radio if they were weaned on Kraftwerk instead of David Bowie - and if they didn't care if they sound socially or emotionally relevant. Or even coherent, for that matter. I couldn't tell you what any of the songs are about, because I don't think that is the point. These songs don't seem to exist as anything except pure expression, and on that level, they succeed.

I've read that Battles make "cyborg-rock", a lazy term meant to describe their blending of human instrumentation with technology. But that is not the sum total of their work. Inside each song, no matter how digitally enhanced, beats the heart of the songwriters. That makes their work infinitely less cyborg than, say, Linkin Park.