The critically acclaimed debut album by American experimental rock group Battles, “Mirrored” offers over-the-top whimsy, extreme rhythms, rise-tight musicianship and a 21st century man-machine interface between live and laptop. Battles have taken electronic to a highly innovative yet accessible level with this release.
It might sound like a mess written down, but the way the band pull these disparate influences together makes for some of the most continually thrilling music, even when considered several years down the line. ‘Atlas’ must be one of the strangest and catchiest instrumental pop songs ever made, and there are plenty of other thrills to be found here, like the playfully glinting vocal abstractions of ‘Tonto’ or the twists and turns of ‘Rainbow’.