Saturday, November 17, 2007

Battles - 'Tonto'


Battles are definitely one of the more interesting bands around these days, and although the album Mirrored is in itself outside my self-imposed remit, I have already posted the excellent video for 'Atlas', as well as some semblance of a live review. So imagine my (pleasant) surprise when I found out today that there has been, apparently for some time, a video out for another song from that album, 'Tonto'.

I came across when browsing on Pitchfork, so allow me to use their description:


"...There's not much to explain about "Tonto"-- which swells up grimly and dramatically like NFL promo music-- though chops-watchers could probably find plenty to geek out about in the mathematical, almost proggy precision of the guitars, bass, keyboards and, driving it all, John Stanier's drums. However, the video for "Tonto" keeps us in the dark, blinking with each fleeting note. You can barely see the band locked in the interplay of jazz, heavy rock, and avant-pop that makes Mirrored such a fist-pumping joy. As with Battles' earlier "Atlas" video, this is a performance clip worth watching more than once, until the night sky fades and the sun comes up on the track."


Can a night sky fade? Anyway, while 'Atlas' was about mirrors (naturally enough), bright lights, and performing in a glass box, 'Tonto' is about strobe lighting, darkness, sharp rocks and performing in the desert:





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