Artist Spotlight

I had planned a couple weeks ago to write a story about the incredible influence I feel math rock has had on indie rock music and whatever other insurgencies are afoot in the pop world. But I had been thinking in the past tense, focusing on a particular group of bands (especially from the D.C. region) who were at their height around the turn of the millennium. Groups like the over-the-hill Fugazi, their descendants Faraquet and Q & Not You, and separate geniuses like Rumah Sakit and Don Caballero were at the top of my list. These bands all deserve their own column, and I’ll be happy to write about them soon. But I ran into something else that caught my attention.

First off, the brainy subgenre of math rock stemmed from ‘80s post-punk and hardcore, only mixed with a little James Brown, some jazz, and a light dose of ‘70s progressive rock. The final product was something altogether new: a type of experimental hardcore full of time changes and intricate instrumentation. The style fostered instrumental groups, in fact, as well as a devoted following of intellectual punks coming of age right as the Internet made music-sharing and distribution so easy. In my reading of history, the math-rock subgenre paved the way for the post-punk/new-wave revival gripping both sides of the Atlantic (and now lasting longer than it did the first time around) as well as the new upsurge in neo-prog and a respect for the classics of progressive rock. The indie scene needed something to dig its way out of that Seattle mess we were all in about 10-15 years ago, and then to counter to folky groups sprouting up since the ascendancy of Neutral Milk Hotel. I think math rock did the trick, and made some incredible leaps for rock music along the way.

But anyway, what got my attention the other day was that math rock is still pushing the envelope. Once again, I’m late for the party, but I thought it best to discuss last year’s release, Mirrored, by the math-rock supergroup Battles, even if I’m the last to sing its praises. Made up of drummer John Stanier (Helmet), Ian Williams (Don Caballero), Dave Konopka (Lynx), and keyboardist/vocalist Tyondai Braxton, the group released a series of EPs over the last 4 or 5 years culminating in this first full-length work. I have no idea what’s happened since, but I really hope there’s another record coming soon. Here’s why:

Battles has taken math rock into the age of Animal Collective and Hot Chip. There is as much frantic, acid-addled noise here as there is futuristic electro, but they fall into neither category. Rather, they tiptoe at the edges of these styles while keeping the flag of mathy intellectualism held high. Just listen to the slow flowering of arcade racket on the album’s first track, “Race-In.” Or try to wrap your ears around the manic psychosis of “Ddiamondd.” The careful atmospheres of the trip-hoppy “Leyendecker” show off an almost mechanical level of instrumental control, while still digging under the emotional skin. Stanier’s impeccable drumming and a stumbling, quirky keyboard line from Braxton make “Rainbow” one of the best eight-minute tracks I’ve heard in a long, long time.

“Bad Trails” taps into strange nighttime sounds and a long history of theatrical exit songs, all in a new synthetic world that may be too twenty-first century for its own inhabitants to fully comprehend. “Snare Hangar” pays homage to guitar-heavy ‘60s garage rock, fast-paced swirling carnival-ride music, and everything in between, all in a less than 2-minute capsule of pure bliss. Incredible long tunes are the crowning achievement here, though. Starting with the chipmunk-voiced “Atlas,” running through the rain-dance inspired “Tonto,” and culminating with the exquisite “Tij,” Battles shows that they know how to keep listeners on their feet well over the pop-single time limit. Mirrored even ends with the rather self-referential tune “Race-Out,” proof there is a concept to this implausible concept album.

I’m hoping Battles’ album is a sign that math rock is nowhere near finished, and that this band in particular still has more than most up their sleeves. But if you’re hankering for more, check out the somewhat thinner, but nearly as genius EP C/B EP from 2004. It won’t disappoint.

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