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album: Mirrored
artist: Battles
label: Warp Records / 2007
score: 91
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by Tim Mathiesen
While Interpol entered the studio "without a plan", Battles entered the studio on the very opposite end of the spectrum in terms of preparation. Mirrored is one of the most calculated, complex, formula-based albums I have ever had the pleasure of hearing. On first listen, I was quite disappointed, but that's only because I didn't understand the purpose of the music and I was expecting something different. As I listened to each song and paid attention to the delicacy of the arrangements I could not believe that someone would be able to execute such a complex piece of music. The musical intelligence and awareness that was involved in writing and arranging this music reaches far beyond my intellect. I cannot begin to pick apart these songs, but I can attempt to describe what I understand and what I hear.
This would not be an album that I would play for fun at home. I must prepare myself for this album and must be in a certain state of mind in order to properly enjoy the music. Due to the overwhelmingly complex rhythms, chords and harmony that I would never be able to understand, I need to let my emotions ride along the wall of sound that flows out of the speakers. It's strange that in order for me to enjoy this delicately calculated and purposefully arranged piece of music, I need to let it play with my emotions. It's intellectual music, not emotional music. Maybe this is because I don't fully understand the intelligence of these arrangements or because the formula is way beyond anything I have ever experienced. I know that if I tried to enjoy this intellectually, I would become confused and overwhelmed, but I am willing to except that fact and trust that my limited understanding of this music is enough to prove that these artists know what they're doing and they have created something extremely special.
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