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Concert Fri Nov 09 2007
Review: Battles @ Metro 11/8
It was Revenge of the Nerds last night as “math rock” arrived at the Metro in the form of Battles and Caribou. Whatever that genre means, exactly, after experiencing the show I did last night I can safely say I do not care. Caribou opened and, although never having heard them before, I was immediately drawn in. A backdrop behind the band had logarithmic moving patterns projected onto it, eliminating the band members themselves as any sort of visual focal point, absorbing you completely in the sound environments they created.
Battles nonchalantly gathered on the stage, seemingly regular guys if everyone in the audience hadn’t known the musical power they were capable of. All gathered upstage, drummer included, surrounded by an array of keyboards, guitars, and other electronics the capacity of which no one was entirely sure until they started playing. Once they did begin, Battles wasted no time in creating the most awesome of soundscapes. Wild guitars, memorizing lights, and the eerie vocal lines of Tyondai Braxton absorbed all present, audience and band included, in the potent musical scenery that is Battles.
The place erupted with the opening beats of “Atlas” and never lost energy, with the constant need for head bobbing as the only real way one can dance at this show. The only time Braxton paused to address the crowd as a being separate from the band was for the obligatory “thank you” to all appropriate parties. “And now here’s a slow one,” he said, as drummer John Stanier began, ironically, banging out “Leyendecker”.
As the show concluded and the fans shuffled out, one man nearby yelled “Prog rock is back!” Whether or not Battles is the reincarnation of prog rock is an argument for another time. But regardless of how people want to classify their music, it is sure Battles will continue to create nights such as this for quite a while.
