Say what you will about New York’s Battles and their new record Gloss Drop, but the divisive group, currently a three-member affair, know how to put on a good show. And Thursday night at the Wonder Ballroom in rainy Portland, Oregon, was no exception, as the band dug deep into their catalogue to please the diehard fans, while also touching base with every great single they have written.
Leading off the two act bill was England’s Walls. The experimental duo (whom I had never heard before the show) played the best track of the night. That is to say, they played one song, sort of. Their nearly-hour-long set was filled with noise from start to finish, never a silent moment in their tripped-out, drone-pop set. Their sound was a sometimes-pleasing hybrid between Ratatat and garage rock; a fresh but exhausting take on what a genre bending experiment pop can be. But, exhausting might be the operative term here, as Walls carried on when they may have benefited from a more simplistic approach. There were high points in the set, when my toe tapped incessantly and the two-man team built a crazy song from various live sample loops, distorted vocals, and trip-hop-style beats, but those moments were few and far between. I can appreciate and enjoy a free form set structure, but when there’s not even a chance to clap once in an hour, and when much of that time is spend just laying down the backing for each track, listening becomes a taxing task. There’s undeniable talent in their music, and with some minor tweaks to their live show, there’s no telling how far Walls can go.
Battles are never one to settle for mediocrity when it comes to presentation, their video for “Atlas” is a reminder of that, so as the now three piece band took the stage, backed up two huge video screens and surrounded by endless amounts of high-end equipment, expectations were lofty. Former Helmet drummer John Stanier took the stage first, grabbing a tambourine off the floor and shaking in rhythm to the beginning of “Tonto,” followed by keyboardist and backup guitarist Ian Williams and guitarist and bassist Dave Konopka. The threesome made an amazing team on stage, with Konopka essentially played the role maestro, guiding and assembling each song. There’s been plenty said over the years about Stanier’s drumming, an aggressive and perfect form which is nearly unrivaled in modern music, but seeing it live for the first time was something to behold. On track like “Africastle” or “Atlas,” all eyes descend upon Stanier, whose clothes were completely soaked through two songs in. Their decision to split the setlist between Mirrored and Gloss Drop tracks was definitely a plus, as the latter has been both panned and praised by critics. If nothing else can be said, Battles should at least be praised for their pitch perfect live performance of tracks like “Ice Cream,” “Tonto,” or “Futura” – no small accomplishment as the studio arrangements are complex in their own right. No member missed a note, save for some small technical difficulties, and no fan left unhappy. I left the show with the impression that Battles are unappreciated in indie music’s twenty-four hour hype cycle, which is truly a shame.
