In Math 2+2 equals 4, but in Math Rock 2+2 equals 5

When I first heard The Battles I was not sure what to think.  It took a bit to sink in, but once I did I was very happy with what they were doing.  It was daring, it was electronic, it was noise and most of all it captured my attention.  People like this create interesting music that makes ones head spin more and more.  The Battles are an amazing band with a bunch of talent to match. After listening you will finally understand what the genre Math Rock is all about.  It is also so out there, that it is a challenge to any music fan.  The challenge is great because it's not your normal "ababa" format for music. There are many layers that the album goes through and jumps a few styles too. There is an influence of Progressive Rock, Post Rock, Electronica and Math Rock.  Math Rock is fun of complex rhythms and patterns.  Math Rock is thinking man or women's music.  It does not have a simple purpose, it has a complex way to make you think outside your comfort zone.  

The Battles can also be coined a supergroup because where these musical geniuses came from.  Each came from some noteworthy bands previously before starting this project.  Bands like Helmet, Tomahawk, Don Caballero, and Storm & Stress.  One member to be singled out is Ty Braxton.  Ty came by way of his dad, Anthony Braxton the Jazz intellect who used to teach at a highly regarded school in Connecticut called Wesleyan University.  So, Ty's brains are part of his dad's.  All this and more make The Battles a very unique band with a ton of new and fresh ideas.  There are many more things going on, but my brain hurts just talking about it.  

When Mirroed was released I was not really convinced about it.  It took me until I saw them perform that year and a bit of prodding from my friend to actually say that I liked it.  When done live it seems like it all melds together as one and you see how each band member has a lot to remember to do to keep the song in it's flow and rhythm.  Still the music is not your simple riff and chorus, and repeat.  There is repetition but it build and builds.  Once you think that is where the music is going, it moves somewhere else.  Everything shifts into forward motion again on a dime and the instruments engage each other in a labyrinthine dance of cheap keyboard themes and tight, knotty guitar inventions. Pattern after pattern is introduced, played until it becomes rote, and then shifts itself, by only a couple of notes, into something entirely different as sounds, soundscapes, and instruments engage one another in call-and-response until a fade into silence.  (Allmusic)

After I listened to Mirrored I was very about music like this.  Music that was technical and more cerebral.  Music that you want to go back and play the song again and dissect every part of it.  This music is comes from different parts of the musical spectrum.  Ty Braxton challenged his friends to make something that defies a category or a pigeon hole of a genre.  This music did it for me.  I love playing this album.  I went back to it while thinking about this post and it's still fresh as it did when it came out in 2007.  It wow's me in so many ways.  

After all that excitement hearing The Battles I wanted to hear more music like this.  I also wanted to check out the music that the band members were in previously.  Most of the bands they were in I already liked.  Helmet, Don Caballero, and Tomahawk.  All these bands were not your average Indie Rock band, they all had amazing and talented musicians in them.  They were not the superstars that we know and we hear all the time.  These were musicians that flew under the radar and took being a musician seriously.  The only one I knew well enough was Ty Braxton.  His father was an amazing leader in the Avant-Garde Jazz world.  I also met his dad on a number of occasions when I would see him perform at a local book store for Wednesday Jazz.  As a whole, this band would keep my interest because of the unique and original music they played.  I have seen them a few more times since then and with Ty and Dave (the bass and second guitar player) gone.  It's only Ian and John who still make engaging music.  Furthermore, with a new album out in 2019 they added a guest appearance by none other then Jon Anderson of Yes.

So if you want music left of center and really odd, progressive and electronic and "heady" then The Battles are for you.  Their music is unique, and engaging.  They pull no punches and do not conform to something that we all should like.  Their market is fans of anything new and very creative.  Fans like myself love hearing what will come next and what musical direction they will go to.  The Battles may not be for everyone, but for me they can do no wrong.  Take a listen to Mirrored and tell me what you think.  Enjoy!!