Rockness Recommends
Battles and White Williams will blow your mind.
November 6, 2007
Battles and White Williams will put on a show November 13th at Webster Hall that you will most likely remember for a long time (or at least until December). This will be a math-electro-hammock-rock-treat.
It's absurd how talented the members of Battles are. I mean, you know by reading and googling that Battles features former members of luminous bands like Helmet, Don Caballero, Storm and Stress and Lynx. But you don't really know what that kind of pedigree means musically, or how that background translates to their stage show, until you witness it for yourself. These four guys are just crazy good. Sometime, way back when they were in all those bands, they figured it all out. Watching them is watching a band that's tapped into some elusive musical secret.
To call what Battles does "math-rock" doesn't really give them or their rhythms justice. Every band that didn't have a singer and liked to guitar-noodle mid-song were called math-rock. But Battles does more than shift tempos and create time disruptions. Call what they do "quantum-physics-core" or something.
Both Ian William and Tyondai Braxton are guitar gods, finger tapping their way towards rock-out enlightenment. But just to prove that they are indeed better than most every musician you know, they also pound out catchy keyboard riffs at the same time. It's truly a sight to behold. I have trouble tapping my head and rubbing my stomach at the same time. Not these guys.
Drummer John Stanier is clearly as good, if not better, than Williams' old Don Cab battery mate, Damon Che (and Che is a drumming god, so there you go). He doesn't play the drums; he attacks them with contained fury. All the while, David Konopka lurks with his guitar in the background, keeping melodic civility to the rhythmic unrest.
Studying these guys as they play, you can tell from their clenched faces (and sweaty shirts) that the music they're making requires their utmost concentration. They're like torch-jugglers riding on a ten-foot tall unicycle over a tight-rope. You won't get any crowd winks, or much witty banter. These guys are totally focused on their mission to rock you out. It's fast, it's precise, and it's exhilarating. Man, I bet these guys burn a ton of calories every night.
Opening is the hyper-by-the-day White Williams! Double W is the plugged-in pop project of Cleveland's Joe Williams. His happy synths, good-natured bass thumps, and blissful laptop beats have been gaining steady acclaim, especially after he played a bunch of dates with his like-minded gadget peers, Girl Talk and Dan Deacon.
Williams' peaceful, up-tempo jams remind me of Hawaiian surf songs meets Hot Chip (especially Williams' carefree tenor). There's a breezy quality to these machine-made sounds that make you feel well on your way towards becoming relaxed. Maybe you could call White Williams' "hammock-rock." He recently signed to the experimental-electric label Tigerbeat6 which will definitely help spread the word to those looking to get laid-back.
Battles and White Williams play Webster Hall, on Tueday, November 13th.
It's absurd how talented the members of Battles are. I mean, you know by reading and googling that Battles features former members of luminous bands like Helmet, Don Caballero, Storm and Stress and Lynx. But you don't really know what that kind of pedigree means musically, or how that background translates to their stage show, until you witness it for yourself. These four guys are just crazy good. Sometime, way back when they were in all those bands, they figured it all out. Watching them is watching a band that's tapped into some elusive musical secret.
To call what Battles does "math-rock" doesn't really give them or their rhythms justice. Every band that didn't have a singer and liked to guitar-noodle mid-song were called math-rock. But Battles does more than shift tempos and create time disruptions. Call what they do "quantum-physics-core" or something.
Both Ian William and Tyondai Braxton are guitar gods, finger tapping their way towards rock-out enlightenment. But just to prove that they are indeed better than most every musician you know, they also pound out catchy keyboard riffs at the same time. It's truly a sight to behold. I have trouble tapping my head and rubbing my stomach at the same time. Not these guys.
Drummer John Stanier is clearly as good, if not better, than Williams' old Don Cab battery mate, Damon Che (and Che is a drumming god, so there you go). He doesn't play the drums; he attacks them with contained fury. All the while, David Konopka lurks with his guitar in the background, keeping melodic civility to the rhythmic unrest.
Studying these guys as they play, you can tell from their clenched faces (and sweaty shirts) that the music they're making requires their utmost concentration. They're like torch-jugglers riding on a ten-foot tall unicycle over a tight-rope. You won't get any crowd winks, or much witty banter. These guys are totally focused on their mission to rock you out. It's fast, it's precise, and it's exhilarating. Man, I bet these guys burn a ton of calories every night.
Opening is the hyper-by-the-day White Williams! Double W is the plugged-in pop project of Cleveland's Joe Williams. His happy synths, good-natured bass thumps, and blissful laptop beats have been gaining steady acclaim, especially after he played a bunch of dates with his like-minded gadget peers, Girl Talk and Dan Deacon.
Williams' peaceful, up-tempo jams remind me of Hawaiian surf songs meets Hot Chip (especially Williams' carefree tenor). There's a breezy quality to these machine-made sounds that make you feel well on your way towards becoming relaxed. Maybe you could call White Williams' "hammock-rock." He recently signed to the experimental-electric label Tigerbeat6 which will definitely help spread the word to those looking to get laid-back.
Battles and White Williams play Webster Hall, on Tueday, November 13th.
