Battles - Atlas (3-30-07, Empty Bottle, Chicago)

[ddvs2012]

ACID

[jbarajas0490]

i didnt like theyre new album.... but i love this song

[monkadelic2]

@jbarajas0490

Give the new album another go. I didn't like it at first, but amdefinitely a fan now.

[Bonecracker101]

Hobo: Neh boy, I say, what's that there you jamming?

Me: Whatever you need it to be Mr. Hobo, sir. Whatever you need it to be.

Hobo: Far out man. Far out.

(Me and Mr. Hobo sat there and got high to the pitches, keyboards and awesomeness of this song)

*True story*

So now you know...

[longhorn2615]

i though it was nickle back!? 

[thebigruss34]

I love this song

[huskywich]

Everyone seems to complain about good bands never making it

1) Maybe its the pretentious attitude of the 95% of people that like a band like battles which turns ppl off. 2) If they became big i'm sure half the current fan based would be pissed and find another bands which the general public would obviously be to stupid to see said bands talents in combining mixed 5/8, additive 3/2/3/8 and simple 4/4 time signatures blah blah.

3) Why give a shit if someone likes Nickel Back?

[drummerdo0od]

@huskywich Cuz Nickelback is a joke...

[hotmetaldobermans]

this is SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO­OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO­OOOO DOPE.

[gutrucci]

wow

[MrEpicPants]

anyone think the singer looks like the guy from Eraserhead?

[povkilla]

battles has a power that few bands ever attain and that power is diverse creativity. other than sonichris mentioning fugazi come to mind. even then, most are too avant garde imo. but not battles with their poly rhythmic genius.

[spanknata]

if you like this band check out animal collective and here we go magic both are talented like this band anyone hating on battles doesn't have an open mind to music and listens to the mainstream way too much

[Xtraterrestres100]

little big planet

[pythonsl3r]

jizz in my pantz much?

[fatcat363]

i can play the drums :D , but still nothin compared to this , awesome band totally different than hella :D both great bands

[greenchodum]

I got here on accident and i splooged. the empty bottle is amazing and this is awesome. more.

[alfaripopo]

I really wonder if the new stuff will be on par with this. I'm getting impatient!

[maksandwedge]

even better live :)

[piggod1234]

lo dioses

[MrFrenchCheese]

MAGNIFIQUE !

[bjorkismyhomie]

damn they be jamming! i can't stop bobbing to this!!! :D i love battles.

[lifeisfacade]

Still listening to it! Great to walk through London to!

[Y2Kevo]

comin' from the dark at the edge of the town

[mascnz]

Hey, how many cameras did you have filming?

[xbxbear]

Awesome! The whole album is an incredible experience. It reminds me of when Tonto's Expanding Head Band changed the face of electronic music. It's never been the same since. This album will be EPIC!

[DarknessEternity91]

"People won't be people when they hear this sound."

I love this song even though the lyrics are weird and disturbing, it's catchy! ^_^

[Darthscemp]

Same Here

[MaN14CK]

good

:)

[MattieCooper]

Astonishing!

[plcbmathilde]

i realy like this band the drummer is amaizing but their singer sucks! there is another band similar to them with an wonderfull singer it's FOALS !!!

[lifeisfacade]

I am falling in love with this band! People will still be talking about this record in twenty years

[zEsker]

sure hope so

[Shadowdispel]

not bad,i like this song

[WeakSignaI]

aaaaartooooo saaaaaaarrrriiiiiiii!!!

[joshioaz85]

these guys are fukin awesome

[muellerbones]

Saw these guys at Bumbershoot in '08 while i was blazed out of my skull. Fucking incredible.  Their live performance is ridiculously captivating.

[deejaycooper]

i just saw these guys at the sydney opera house and it was the most amazing concert i have ever seen this is a band that only live does them justice

[benr934]

thats some stupidly impressive tapping there, and there not even concentrating, thats just awesome :L i wanna see battles live now :D

[spookohoax180]

Even if you dont like them you have to praise their originality, and use of synths/loop machines to create a unique sound. Battles are gr8!

[BillClintonn]

It would be better if we could hear the vocals better. But other than that -- this is a wonderful video. Nice job capturing the performance on film.

[sonichris]

THAT WAS FUCKING AWESOME!!

these guys are amazing, ian williams and dave konopka are playing synths with one have and fingering the fretboard with the other. unbelievable!

this is definitely one of the most interesting and talented bands around right now.

[DESTRUCTIVEobZen2228]

i like it cuz its fucking weird

so anyone who hates it for that reason yet you claim you like "diff" music suck on it

this is like very other band out there is red and battles is like 48 diff colors

[RATM4EVER]

WHat.. The... Fuck...?

[zadime92]

The biggest reason i like them is because this song is in a good ps3 game, little big planet

[theworkhorse]

To everyone who claims this is "Childish":

Music doesn't have to be in 16/28 time or be played at 400 bpms to be good. This song is about taking simple pieces from each band member, and building it into a polished whole. Technical proficency does not equal greatness.

Evaluate the musical composition itself, not the speed by which they're playing, or the number of notes or the complexity of the whole thing.

[TheNilvarg]

I don't think anyone said it was childish.

It's just incredibly simplistic. Technical proficiency and vocal talent are all that is greatness. What do you judge a great musician by? Popularity? Coolness? Are you a teen?

The lead singer is terrible, and the instrumental backup is incredibly simplistic and uninteresting. What else is there to music? Nothing.

[an8bitwarlock]

what about originality & artistic merit? or do you prefer your music templated? and are you _seriously_ that uptight enough to actually judge the 'vocals' on this song?

you obviously have no idea what battles is trying to achieve with their music but chances are this is the only song you've heard by them so you probably don't even know what you're even talking about

either that or you're a clever troll since you have atlas favorited

[johnmacken]

actually, nilvarg, i know exactly what they mean. when you say the lead singer is "terrible" you mean he's terrible as compared to the types of vocalists you enjoy. too bad not everyone is into that, because if everyone was happy with "good singers" i don't think music would evolve too much. he's using his voice as an instrument in this band. great musicians don't always make great bands

[twotrot]

It's quite obvious that this song is neither popular or cool.

Myself, a friend played it to me from their iPod a while back, and I heard it again while playing LBP. I liked the song anyway but had forgotten about it.

Songs don't have to be technically proficient to be good. They just have to stand out from the crowd, and Battles certainly do that.

And are those, like, synth guitars or something?

[KiQuEMeXiCaNChIlAnGo]

BATTLES IS A GREAT BAND!!!

[notclaireb]

3.20 is freaking crazy!

[emmakatenotcake]

Stanier puts so much energy into durmming- hewas sweating like a paedophile at a children's concert when I saw BATTLES earlier this year. One of the best live bands ever.

[TheNilvarg]

A whole lot of wasted energy. His drumming is simplistic and uninteresting.

[emmakatenotcake]

Chuck up a vid of you drumming- I'd like to see you do better :P

[TheNilvarg]

I don't have to be a drummer to know that his drumming is shitty. Don't pull that childish shit.

I just need a good pair of ears. He's just a pacemaker. That's all. He doesn't contribute anything musically. Of course, the other members don't either.

Catchy song, but the instrumentals are extremely simplistic.

[emmakatenotcake]

I wouldn't call anyone's actions childish unless one knows them personally.

Bingo about the pacemaker. Math rock's structured like that. Sure, you can think it's simplistic (disregard below, it was impulsive)- I find this the most interesting song taken from Mirrored due to the vocals. Apart from Ddiamondd.

[rockermang]

Battles is barely math rock...

I wouldn't really call them it.

Most of their songs are in 4/4, and have very simple rhythms.

[Dwebtron]

you're an idiot.

[TheNilvarg]

Now that's a convincing argument...

Astonishing.

[flipmurray101]

you're an idiot...now go back to your incubus cd

[TheNilvarg]

Incubus is just as bad as these morons.

[virgosareus]

No, YOU'RE a moron.

[sonichris]

really? that's all you can come up with. these guys are playing music unlike any other band out there right now. there are very few bands i can think of that can't be compared to other bands. take fugazi. who else do (did) they sound like? even to this day no one can compare to them because they created uncompromising music in their own solopsistic universe. battles are heading down the same road, creating excellent music no one else is doing. only a moron cannot see this.

douchebag..

[TheNilvarg]

So you're saying that they're uniquely untalented?

[sonichris]

you might not like what they are doing but i don't see how you can call them untalented. are they doomed to never make it big? absolutely. the hallmark of a band that is pushing the envelope is if 90% of people don't like it. all the good stuff is on the fringe, the banal fills up the middle.

now go wrap yourself in your nickelback safety blanket. it's warm and safe in there...

[TheNilvarg]

Why would you make a stupid assumption like the bullshit that I'd like Nickelback? They're possibly the worst band in human history.

[sonichris]

i apologize for the personal attack, it was not directed at you, more as a general statement on popular music. yes nickelback IS the worst band in history, yet they are, ironically, very popular. most people want simple predictable drivel to listen to. bands like battles create music by exploring new territory. it might work, it might not, but it's new and refreshing. if there are a few flubs playing live its only because they are pushing the envelope as far as possible.

[1969fenderjazz]

@sonichris You are my new personal hero and made my day. Tell 'em!!

[ras3428]

your right on man.

[Truman165]

@sonichris There are lots of bands that sound fairly similar to these guys that just never got the hype battles are getting. Einsterzende Neubauten have songs that have a near identical aesthetic to this song, and they've been around for nearly 30 years. Also, Fugazi had melodic and dynamic facets that Battles don't have and that's where they don't do it for me. They're definitely good musicians though

[Kelavmeister]

@Truman165 Have you listened to their newest album? It's a lot less frantic than Mirrored, and to me more melodically based as well.

[TheNilvarg]

WOW, GOOD ONE!

[garrybaboon]

What's really unusual is the fact you claim to hate battles, but yet have a video of there's in your favourites. Its quite interesting in seeing what people who leave gay comments about how much they dislike a band actually listen to. Now go listen to some Bon jovi. Ciao twat face x x

[TheNilvarg]

Like I said, "catchy" doesn't necessarily mean "good". Just because it's fun to listen to, doesn't mean that the band is actually talented.

[deejaycooper]

how can you say that band isnt talented 2 of them play multiple instruments at the same time without looking at them, when you can do that then you have the ability to judge it

[TheNilvarg]

They could be playing twenty instruments at once, doing their taxes, and writing a manifesto, and it still wouldn't matter if they can't do anything well. I'll be impressed when they produce music that isn't so simplistic and uninteresting.

[darnallt]

I'd check out some of their EPs then, or maybe the song "S Z 2" in particular. I think that the simplicity of this song is what makes it interesting to me, personally.

[MassKillJoy]

what the hell are talking about simplicity?!?!?and uninteresting?

[zEsker]

this is a simple song but that doesn't make it bad. If you're looking for a more complex one check out Rainbow; very well written.

[smokinbill]

Does anyone know what vocoder he is using?

[Kelavmeister]

he probably isnt using one, hes just running his mic thru an voice emulator, and a whammy pedal attached to that.

[Bishops2011]

does anhyone have msn!!! msg me my live id is jane21dame N

[thomaskenneally]

the fact that from 3:30 on both guitarists were tappin a riff on the next with their left hands and playing a keyboard line with their right hands...?!?!?!?!

[Devoimprov]

Does anyone know what kind of looping rack, konopka uses?

[wolfweeping]

chido

[cplcummins]

what are these crazy lyrics??

[c0n0rH3aN3y]

"people won't be people when they hear this sound thats been glowing in the dark at the edge of the town.." etc

[DangerRifai]

Stanier is a drum machine!!

[Cuddlysponge97]

It's funny how the drummer bounces his head throughout the whole thing. I love the music! The way they sing is cool too!

[giobagnari]

i saw battles yesterday night in milan at "magazzini generali" fantastic concert!!!

they are very interesting....

[rnwepc]

whats with the drummers unnecessarily high crash and high hat?

[buckley264]

yeah everyone notices that...its his thing. These guys rocked Coachella 08. Ever rougher than here, totally deconstructing the beat down to nothing and building it up again. thx 4 post.

[Hzqi]

Reportedly it's to encourage a certain sound from the drumming. It's such an effort to strike, it removes the urge to overuse it. You'll notice that crashing cymbals are used sparingly in Battles.

[bcastine1975]

Stanier had rotator cuff surgery years back and almsot gave up drums, actually he became a professional Dj by accident at the time.Luckily for us he picked the sticks back up.The high crash is more comfortable to hit after the injury.

[cplcummins]

cant understand a word of it!!!

bollox!!

[xTheOxx]

Why do you hate music?

[Vawklin]

hey cplcummins The Killers sucks donkey balls

[youcouldbeus]

Damn It, this is Fnatastic!!!! I want to see them live!!!

[kritikkal]

I see alot of people going the drummer this and the drummer that. You should know this is John Stanier and he kills!!!! Address him by name. In fact, call him Mr. Stanier bitches!!

[JPeSev]

If you can call us bitches I can call the drummer "drummer" if I please...hohoho!

Now seriously, this drummer is not so impressive IMHO. Just check Bill Brufford, Phil Collins in the early Genesis, Pat Mastelotto, or former Flower Kings Jaime Salazar and Zoltan Csörsz. Everyone of then seem more capable than Mr Stanier. Or maybe not but this "loopish" music doesn't let him show all of his skills.

[kritikkal]

Take a look at his work in Helmet before you make any assumptions, homeslice. Comparing Phil Collins to him? Homo says what?

[1337jazzdrums]

come on man, its all different styles, you cant compare that shit

[Hzqi]

Listen to the Tomahawk album ANONYMOUS. Stanier rapes the drumming in that.

[djrealfancy]

holy shit! i knew i recognized him (John), but couldn't put 2 & 2 together...even though im aware battles and helmet are both NYC bands. ahhh, he played with Page! fucking A! Mr Stanier simply rocks, isn't it obvious?

[bcastine1975]

Phil Collins LOL, all he can do his hold on to that little tuft of hair he has.Maybe Mr. Stanier would get more respect if he were to show off, but he doesn't, ever, no such thing as a Stanier drum solo, you got to find it in the music.There are very few drummers that could reproduce these beats, isn't that the point of drums?When you mix in how hard he strikes the drums and his snare speed and sound he is elevated too elite company, but then again, we knew that.

[sinestetici]

First of all, this "loopish music" shows off one of his greatest strengths...the guy is basically a humane metranome. Second, you can't compare all those drummers with one another...it's all various styles. They all have strengths + weaknesses.

[tarantism]

his drumming is within the same spirit of Jaki Liebezeit of Can

[lully1974]

My favourite song.

[maccheppalle]

People won't be people when they hear this sound..

that's great!!!! I adore it!

[DisguiseDK]

3:20. Insane! Playing both guitar and keyboard. Talent!

[elementdannyb]

THIS BAND SUCKS MONKEY BALLS

[Flatliner0452]

haha, they are actually very talented. it's really hard to play with that many loops and not get off. If you don't like the music though that's of course totally your opinion and not fact.

[vivelavidarocka]

From New Yowk baby...!!

[panthersquad]

what is the drummer doing?!? his cymbal is like 4 feet abovehim

[Flatliner0452]

it's a stylistic choice. He is mainly replicating electronic drumming styles which don't use cymbals of than hi-hat's much so he can afford to put them that high.

[DMCrimson]

I forgot where I read it, but the real reason why he put his crash that high was that he simply thought it would be funny.

[gaakitten]

I thought he was saying something about a banana sandwich in the lyrics lol oops.. Its nearly Paddys Day my brain is mush!!

[ladiesmanjeff]

what are the lyrics i know the chourus but the rest is bugging me lol

[moonbison]

"People won't be people when they hear this sound

That's been glowing in the dark at the edge of town

People won't be people, no

The people won't be people when they hear this sound

Won't you show me what begins at the edge of town"

[mrdoppio]

Excellent video, and the sound quality is pretty good. thanks!

[myassishaunted]

beautiful

[theblahs]

Every note in this here song makes me come in my panties.

[matthieumireille]

the music is soooooooooo boring ... huuuuuaaaa

[juxtachris89]

fuck face

[tarantism]

fuck me

[juxtachris89]

what?!?!

[wackiirahki]

i'm just happy ian is still up to his craziness...the man is brilliant. hell this band is brilliant.

[anexperimat]

people won't be people when they hear this sound

[Greggstir]

It's good but I personally enjoy Animal Collective a lot more.

[timothyzha]

theyre both brilliant groups

[Koopgeminikiller]

these guys fucking kick ass! Soo original

[michaeljameswhelan]

john stanier! Yo!!!

[shatnersizeme87]

These guys FUCKIN' know how to rock and roll! Brilliant..

[GEEFLEXZ]

great band, fkn brilliant music!!! these guys deserve massive accolades caus they totally blow minds!!! we are privaleged to be witness to this kind of mastery!!!!!!!

[rotax69]

the drummer looks like shooter Mgavin out of happy gilmore rofl. but yeh i saw battles on sunday at big day out perth Australia. BLEW MY MIND AWAY

[imarobot7]

When I saw him I thought so too, these guys are awesome.

[rockgodmarty]

Haha, perhaps a little. But it's the mighty John Stainer of Helmet fame.

[loungefly21]

Of Mark of Cain fame you mean!

[rockgodmarty]

AND Helmet.

[Lugak14]

Anyone who doesnt like this is devoted to the mainstream. If everyone who watched this video went out to the store and bought 2 copies of mirrored. All the kids would ditch Hannah Montana and say: OMGZZZZZ!!!! B@TTLEZ TOTALLEEE ROKZ MY SOKZZZZ LOLLLLZ!

[loungefly21]

No they wouldn't. This music exists to remind us how bad mainstream music is. If it didn't exist we would have no comparison.

[Mancora27]

The drummer is amazing, I dont remember him being this good in Helmet.

[Salam1nas]

I love this band, helps me study(!) and gives me energy.Hope they were more famous here in Greece because i really wonna see them live!

[hubertcubeart]

i first heard of them and thought average name avaerage band, but my god after i first heard them i fell in love and two weeks ago i saw them live. now they are my fav band. bloody brilliant

AMAZING

[casadivetro]

MY GOD.

[watapitty]

who cares how big the gigs are listen to that shit!... its friggen awsome!yeeeeaw

[reido4597]

Just these guys at the Big Day Out in New Zealand. What a band! This song went off, really interesting music. Got to love the drummer

[Punchbear]

This is musical genius distillate, master musicians at work.

[theapc]

I can't get over how high up Stanier's crash is mounted :P.

Great band, equally great performance.

[juliangoolian]

up with hope, down with dope!

[rhymeswithhonda]

this band is almost TOO good.

[iisteve99]

People won't be people when they hear this sound

That's been glowing in the dark at the edge of town

People won't be people, no

The people won't be people when they hear this sound

Won't you show me what begins at the edge of town

[berserk1891]

Are you sure that these are the lyrics? If so, please let me know how you found them!

[AFireInside619]

There's lyrics for a few songs on a myspace blog.

[davidisahotty]

wo-0p!

i get to see them in like.. two weeks or something... any idea how big their shows usually are?

[fuminoritakeshi]

awesome* the guy on the drums is the former drummer of helmet, isn't he?

[cfotoole]

yep, john stanier. i like his work in battles more, actually, but they don't come much more talented.

[fuminoritakeshi]

awsome...

[dustinw88]

Does anyone else have a feeling that these guys are the four horsemen of the apocalypse and our inevitable doom is not to far away. Or am I just way to fucken high. But seriously, these guys are an omen for something even grander in the future.

[0j1o3e4l]

im fuking high too and i reckon ur right mayte

hahaha

[ddiam0ndd]

oh ok, that makes sense, anyone know where i can find a live version of ddiamondd?

[ddiam0ndd]

does anyone know why the drummer keeps his crash so high?!

[xTheOxx]

Apparently to not be tempted to use it too much. Also, because it makes people ask "why is the crash so high?".

[bigcountry4life5]

animal collective anyone?

[flojax]

Yeah,

cept muuuuuuch better

[xTheOxx]

What about them? You implying Battles are biting their style? If so, I don't hear it.

[PetarM4]

killing

[vinicaao]

musical masturbation at its best!

[Saltydog1954]

comment masturbation at it's worst!

[ienjoyhotsoup]

i really like them. i think its funny that they wear dress shirts.

[garfieldel]

They're classy.

[malletblow]

better than bloody skinny yawn jeans and yawn tie :P

[mikefenn00]

simple folk like simple "music", i guess. this reminds me of what i used to do by myself with a loop pedal in 8th grade.