Listen to a New Battles Song Now

Finally! It’s been over three years since NY’s prog-math-rock juggernaut Battles released its debut album, and really haven’t heard a fresh thing from the band since. We heard a while back that the quartet would be contributing a song to the soundtrack for the third movie in the teeny bopper-friendly Twilight series, Eclipse, and now we can finally listen to the song. Praise be!

After scrolling through songs by UNKLE, Beck and Bat For Lashes, Band of Horses, The Black Keys, Vampire Weekend, and other respectable tunes from the ‘indie’ elite, you’ll find “The Line” by Battles. The track starts out sounding quite similar to “Tonto” from Mirrored, but—what’s this?!—you can understand what Tyondai Braxton is singing and its not in a squealing impish pitch. We could go into more detail about how awesome “The Line” is, what with its accelerating tempo, epic turns of melody, and almost pop-friendly nature, but we’ll just let you make your own assessment of it here. And listen quick, because this is coming down tomorrow.

The Black KeysBrothersNonesuch Records (2010)
Genre: IndieRating: B+
Brothers is both the longest and the strongest LP The Black Keys have released thus far, which is surprising. Most people would say that stripped down, duo-born bluesy rock doesn’t really work in large doses, especially when approaching the hour mark. But for whatever reason, this band has seemed to carry an enduring individualism that none of the White Stripe knockoffs have been able to replicate. Dan Auerbach and Pat Carney’s sound is familiar, chunky FM-rock, laced with gospel, roots-R&B, and, of course, the blues, about jail time and misguided sexual conquests. But nobody pulls it off quite like The Black Keys do.
Brothers is an album full of potential singles; it honestly sounds like a greatest hits compilation and spans every sound the Keys have ever experimented with. Opener “Everlasting Light” is a rumbling track reminiscent of “Spirit in the Sky,” with Auerbach adopting a soprano, saloon-door church choir impression. “Black Mud” is the obligatory garage-jam instrumental, perfect for ending side A or starting side B. There’s no “Strange Times”-esque jammer or anything else born for hyperactive radio play. Brothers is a distinctly slow-paced album that lurches—rather than blazes—across its 15 tracks.
Despite the constant outpour of, you know, great songs, Brothers also works really well as a record. It’s sprawling and sonically diverse, of course, but these songs rely on each other for their impact. It’s something we hardly ever see in rock music today, and it makes perfect sense that a band as elementally awesome as The Black Keys would revive it.
-Luke Winkie
Listen:“Tighten Up”


The Black Keys on Last.fm

The Black Keys
Brothers
Nonesuch Records (2010)

Genre: Indie
Rating: B+

Brothers is both the longest and the strongest LP The Black Keys have released thus far, which is surprising. Most people would say that stripped down, duo-born bluesy rock doesn’t really work in large doses, especially when approaching the hour mark. But for whatever reason, this band has seemed to carry an enduring individualism that none of the White Stripe knockoffs have been able to replicate. Dan Auerbach and Pat Carney’s sound is familiar, chunky FM-rock, laced with gospel, roots-R&B, and, of course, the blues, about jail time and misguided sexual conquests. But nobody pulls it off quite like The Black Keys do.

Brothers is an album full of potential singles; it honestly sounds like a greatest hits compilation and spans every sound the Keys have ever experimented with. Opener “Everlasting Light” is a rumbling track reminiscent of “Spirit in the Sky,” with Auerbach adopting a soprano, saloon-door church choir impression. “Black Mud” is the obligatory garage-jam instrumental, perfect for ending side A or starting side B. There’s no “Strange Times”-esque jammer or anything else born for hyperactive radio play. Brothers is a distinctly slow-paced album that lurches—rather than blazes—across its 15 tracks.

Despite the constant outpour of, you know, great songs, Brothers also works really well as a record. It’s sprawling and sonically diverse, of course, but these songs rely on each other for their impact. It’s something we hardly ever see in rock music today, and it makes perfect sense that a band as elementally awesome as The Black Keys would revive it.

-Luke Winkie

Listen:
“Tighten Up”

The Black Keys on Last.fm

Listen to a New Battles Song Now

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