By: Amber Schadewald
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| Battles - Photo from their MySpace page |
Watching Battles is like getting a down and dirty tour of a factory. Obnoxiously loud, the instruments act as machines, grinding, clinking, clashing and ticking, coming together into one melodious burst of energy.
The Fine Line was moderately full, but there was still adequate room on the floor. I was lucky enough to be standing directly underneath Tyondal Braxton, the guitar/keys/vox, meaning my drink got tangled up in the mass of chords hanging from his equipment. The members of Battles are the kings of multitasking. Braxton and Ian Williams are both experts at playing their guitars with one hand and the keys with the other. Random sounds of saxophones and a field of other noises spring from their manipulated concoctions.
Like any good lover, Battles is great about getting the listener real worked up. Repeatedly during their show, the bass would begin, teasing with a sort of pulsing hum, while the drums maybe hint a few clicks of a rattling rhythm. You could feel the crowd lifting their shoulders, antsy for the entry of the other sounds. When Braxton came in with vocals all endorphins were released. You could see him speaking actual words and illustrating his lyrics with waving gestures, yet the sound was in another language meant for robotic monsters and space invaders.
I shook like crazy to the beats, but for the most part, the crowd only bobbed heads, too astonished to move. Battles isn’t the easiest to move to—sporadic guitar strums are folded under and above the changing drum patterns. At times it didn’t sound like they matched, but that’s the sheer beauty of this band: regardless of how messy and odd the combination of sounds may be, they always come full circle. It was fun being up close, watching the winks and tinks signaling the change of a song or an entrance cue.
The crowd was dominated by college aged men and therefore a couple stupid “smoke weed” comments echoed in the limited moments of silence between songs. One super intoxicated boy thought it was a good idea to hug the drum set. He was eventually removed from the venue.
It was hard for me to determine exactly what songs they played, being that they all melded together, but “Atlas” was for sure included, and by far a highlight. The drummer dripped uncontrollably, Braxton jumped around like a deer, Williams blew bubbles with his gum and each member looked completely hypnotized by their own craft.
Other highlights:
Non highlight: My ears almost died during the disgustingly high pitched encore.
Location Info:
Fine Line Music Café
Artist Info: Battles
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