Battles, Mirrored: Hot Jam of the Year

So, New York's Battles has had an album, Mirrored, out since May. It's pretty much insane; I can't really even describe what it is they do. It's like if a droning Krautrock band took a crash-course in bizarro disco and no-wave skronk, since Mirrored's songs contain weirdo electro, horror-slug vocals and insidious rhythms. Oh my god, those rhythms -- which are chunky, brain-splattering, limb-rocking, etc. I think the phrase "fucking in rhythm and sorrow" -- ganked from a Sugarcubes song -- applies.

This video for the band's song "Atlas" makes me completely freak out, in the best possible way.

Some amazing person also has the band's entire concert from the Empty Bottle in Chicago up on YouTube. Every gear geek on YouTube discusses the band's setup on the comments for this video, btw.

-- Annie Zaleski