Something new for you guys to chew on: Battles

This should probbably be in Miscellaneous...

But yes, Battles is awesome. I think they're pretty much the math rock super group. Ian Williams, who's one of the guitarists, is from Don Caballero, and the drummer was in Helmet. I forget where the other two guys are from, though.

 

I heard them first new years eve. Great stuff/

 

Thanks for this...very cool band.

 

+1

 

I discovered them December of last year. Pretty cool concept and music, but I don't find myself listening to them often.

 

Yeah, I've heard about 'em, but never really listened to 'em. Or play 'em.

 

Saw them at the Big Day Out in feb this year.
Pretty cool how their lead singer (he sings sometimes anyway) he'll be playing his fretting hand on the guitar while he'll plays keys with the other hand. (Not just one note stuff either) Skill +1

For anyone umming about whether to buy a ticket to see them - DO IT. It's worth it just for the musicianship.
But then where I live, I'll go to most things, cos most bands seem to skip my little backwater.
Would I see them again? I'm not sure they'll ever be back.....

 

Never heard of them until now actually. Must say that they'd be interesting to watch live.

 

don't like them sorry ;<

 

I can say this...

At least they are doing something different.

That point alone I give them some credit.

 

Exactly.

I don't care what it is, as long as it's someone exploring a different voice.

 

I'm not sure how "different" they are considering Tera Melos, Hella, Don Cabaleros, Make Believe (sometimes), Lightning Bolt (sometimes), By the End of Tonight (i think that's the name I'm thinking of), and plenty others do similiar math-rock stuff, nor are they really a "new" thing since they were on nearly every hipster top 20 in existence last year. That being said, they are more than worthy of discussion because they destroy and use lots of effects.

 

I must me old and/or out of it...

I never heard of the term math rock until today and I'm most certainly not a hipster.


BTW: that is not a dig in anyway

 

well, my post may have came off more condescending than intended. my point was that their music easily falls within a robust genre that's been around for 20+ years so if you find it interesting there are MANY other bands doing similiar stuff. just go to last.fm and type in "math-rock" as a tag or "battles" as the band and you'll get at least an hour or two worth of listening pleasure of different bands in the genre. Also, that being said Battles is doing some really interesting stuff and expanding the genre, and they're basically a super-group . I'm also not trying to put them down because they're one of my favorite bands in one of my favorite genres... just tryin to add some perspective.

 

I think Yes, Rush, and ELP could have been considered "math rock" back in the day...

Good stuff. Interesting, to be sure.

 

well, math-rock is actually an off-shoot of prog, but not exactly the same... math-rock has more in common with punk and "indie" aesthetics and also free and acid jazz... as compared to prog and it's similiarities with metal and fusion. see?

 

I hear you...

Thats why I added/edited my post.

Text can be hard to interpret the subtleties behind it.

 

I would have thought that as just prog.

Like I said earlier, I'm a bit out of it on the sub-genera of a sub-genera. (actually not joking on that one).

 

I woud in no way throw free jazz in there if you know the tradition.