bttls

[asristir]

Do any of you actually dig the song 'BTTLS' on B EP? Or am I alone in skipping it every single time I spin this disc? It just seems like a poor joke. Opinions?

[hospitalcomedian]

B is the only battles stuff i've heard and i preferred bttls to any of the other songs on it. i pressume the other ep's are more like th rest of the songs on B. am i right?

[esebeday]

asristir - yeh, i like it. took me a few listens before i appreciated it, though. a friend of mine saw battles in london a couple months ago, and he said they actually played it, and according to him, it was almost note for note just like the CD.

hospitalcomedian - EP C is pretty good, but you're right, it's more along the lines of the other songs than BTTLS. UW is pretty abstract, and there's a...remix, i guess, of IPT2 that's a little odd. maybe check out tyondai braxton's solo stuff. from what i've heard (which isn't much), it might interest you.

[asristir]

The appeal totally eludes. Every time it comes on, I laugh and change the track.

[Jeff]

I think Battles make some pretty bad "noise" tracks...
Unlike their other stuff, "UW," "Fantasy," and "Bttls" tend to be really un-interesting to me.

[Bungle]

I dig uw, but i don't often give bttls or fantasy much of a go.

[thedryhumper]

The first few times I listened to BTTLS I hated it as well. Then over the summer, I saw battles play at barden's boudoir, and BTTLS was the last song they played. It was seriously note for note exactly the same as you hear it on the CD. this made me go back and listen to it a lot more, and I have a newfound appreciation for it. Skillwise, it is the most impressive song I think Battles have recorded yet. The genius of it isn't so much in closely woven guitar hooks like in B+T, or IPT 2, but in the construction/deconstruction of call and response patterns They establish in a spastic way , and then begin to slowly alter it as soon as you think you know what they're doing. Very Steve Reichish. This along with the constant major chords from David, give the song a gradual progression from order, to chaos, and back to order again. Total mindfuck. Granted, this isn't the kind of song you listen to when occupied with something else, but if listened to it carefully this song is extreemely rewarding.

[asristir]

I have often found it funny that music that takes a ton of 'skill' to create doesn't seem to really do much. BTTLS, for instance, Zorn's works, Patton's solo and many of his collaborative works (Onibaba with Zach Hill was a particular letdown), almost all of Hella's eps, the sound collages of Trey Spruance, many 'experimental' projects.
There is often a drone for extended periods, a repetitive noise, obviously unpleasant tones... rewarding? I gotta differ on that, but respect the fact that you can enjoy it.
If Battles played this tune, it would be time for a bathroom break!
How much you wanna bet their new album is going to be extensions of the ideas in BTTLS?

[esebeday]

maybe, maybe not. BTTLS is only 1 song out of what? 12? from interviews i've read, i don't think they'll pigeonhole themselves anyway. i don't remember where i read it, but if you google BATTLES + (insert band member name here) there's an interview somewhere that mentions the possibility of ian doing some singing.

[asristir]

Read that. If it's storm n stress style singing, I'm going to be doing some skipping. (heh... funny mental picture)
What if he meant voice sampling ala Tyondai?
We'll see. It will probably be interesting no matter what they do.