Battles
Battles is an American experimental rock group, founded in 2002 in New York City. The current line-up is guitarist/ keyboardist Ian Williams and drummer John Stanier. Former members include composer/vocalist Tyondai Braxton and guitarist/bassist Dave Konopka.
Early recordings include the Tras and EP C EPs, which were both released in June 2004 on Cold Sweat and Monitor, respectively. The B EP followed on Dim Mak in September 2004. The Atlas EP followed in early 2007, succeeded by the band’s proper full-length debut, Mirrored, in May 2007. In 2010, Braxton announced he was leaving the band to pursue his own solo career while the rest of the group set to work as a trio on a new record. The following year, Battles released their second full-length album, Gloss Drop, which featured collaborations with Gary Numan, Blonde Redhead’s Kazu Makino, and Matias Aguayo. A remix album, Dross Glop, appeared in 2012. Battles began work on new music early in 2014, this time opting for a completely instrumental approach. The results were 2015’s La Di Da Di, described by the band as a “mushrooming monolith of repetition.”
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“Battles' efficiency is becoming their most formidable trait. Their sound now possesses a withering, caustic wit instead of a joyous, ostentatious cackle, and the suspicion is that it's only the start of an enticing middle chapter.”
The Quietus on Gloss Drop -
“For all their obvious complexities, what emerges tonight through their complications and convolutions is a love of sound. A joyful, ear-bleedingly loud sound.”
The Guardian on Battles live -
“There are no heroes here, only team players. Sometimes the guitars are all off on deranged tangents, and it’s Stanier’s solid drums that reel the musicianship in from the edge of excess. Other times, it’s the guitars that hold the fort, intricate weaves of sound that form a safety net for the more acrobatic percussion excesses. It’s pretty incredible, and even when Battles are totally bugging out there’s a beautiful symmetry at play.”
The NME on Mirrored
