easycure

Kyklos, I had also read the interview you posted (in fact, I even suspect they might be the same), but: 1) the fact that both of our samples come from the same people should already make us think. 2) the fact that songs were created for "writing" rather than improvisation does not necessarily mean they are "rational," calculated, and non-instinctive. Should we then include in the "cerebral" category all songs not born from improvisation? A bit difficult to uphold :-)

pretazzo, I completely agree with you, truly.

kyklos, it really doesn’t seem to me that they specified that "everything is calculated"; here’s a sample from an interview I read in blow up: IAN: "I would say that John is the ideal counterpart to my stylistic tendencies: as much as he is rigorous and balanced, I tend to be instinctive and disorganized" ..perhaps before shouting "overinterpretation," one should understand the subject more deeply ;-) ...not that I’m referring specifically to you, anyway..

You’ve included some rather gross inaccuracies… 1) folk rock background?? But where… 2) it’s not like Spacemen 3 etc. were doing dream pop and they were shoegazers.. if we want to strictly adhere to definitions, MBV are much more dream pop in the literal sense than Spacemen 3 or Ride. Dream pop and shoegaze intertwine and overlap too much to be able to make distinctions, and in any case, they are much more dream pop than many other shoegazers… 3) this isn’t an inaccuracy but more a matter of opinions; their guitars don’t seem to me to be very "wall of sound".. they are rather a kaleidoscopic mix of effects among the most varied (it’s impossible not to notice the enormous use of vibrato, which significantly contributes to the surreal effect of many pieces), to which, moreover, a quite significant factor is added: an almost equally enormous amount of various synths that often stand out as melodic support riffs for the piece.. "Wall of sound" might bring to mind the Jesus and Mary Chain, but for all their consequences, the use of guitars in the two groups is actually very different.

Well, saying "values they couldn't even dream of conferring" seems completely absurd to me.. I repeat for the third time: but how do you describe (not interpret, describe) the use of the voice? Of course I interpret, even in this case: is there "critique" that doesn't do it? boredom, if I added comments where would the fun be? :-)

Leonid, I don't think I need to listen to this album any further; I've heard it enough times, I would say. Even if I wanted to disagree with this review, referring to it as "crap" seems a bit absurd to me. It doesn't look like I was the only one who appreciated them; the criticisms at all levels are quite unanimous, for instance, and who knows... maybe there is a reason for that. In any case, you should probably pay more attention to all the albums that come out every month (an impossible task to fulfill entirely, and even difficult to do partially, I admit), to understand how a band like Battles manages to stand out from a prevailing logic, and they really are among the few :-)

I wanted to say (before giving rise to sterile accusations of "contradiction") that a musician, like any artist, instinctively has certain ideas...

Well... I don't see any over-interpretations in this review at all, despite the observations of many. Isn't there a certain reference to a "childish" approach? In the vocal melodies, in the synth phrasing... and it seems to me that the contrast with the type of structure of the pieces and with the level of instrumental skill of the group is evident... I don't claim to say that the musicians consciously had all the intentions that I attribute to them. But it is OBVIOUS that a musician, like any artist, instinctively does what they do. Nevertheless, it is equally obvious how a musician carries with them a certain baggage of awareness and consciousness that drives them to do what they do. And it seems just as logical to me that a "criticism" (let's put it in quotes since no one is a professional, of course) should aim to unveil this consciousness that for the musician is instinctive and more or less unconscious... Frankly, nothing transcendental. I thank Galakordi for his comment, and I assure you, no particular form of "courage"... :-) I simply had some thoughts come to mind, and I felt like writing them down...

Dear Festwca.. I'm sorry I gave you that impression.. all I put into it was the passion and fun I always have when writing.. as for the avant-garde, it seems absurd to conceive it only in hindsight, because it is precisely in relation to what exists at a given moment that something can be deemed innovative (i.e., avant-garde). And I'm speaking based on logic, not some potential "snobbish aesthetic" :-D .. "theorem proven"? what does that mean? because a critique that wants to define itself as such doesn't always have claims of objectivity, i.e., proof? ..as for current records, we already discussed this.. I haven't heard anything like this album in recent years.. and I wouldn't say I'm exaggerating since, for example, I'm not the only one who has noticed it.. Psychopompe said something similar in the previous review.. I don't understand how and why I would "kill" music, explain yourself! at least I'm not going to praise the "new revelation of the moment" ..that would be killing music.. finally, to you this album seems complex in its pseudo-immediacy.. it would have been enough to focus on the cerebral nature (because deny it?) of my considerations to understand that I would never deny that.. with this, it seems to me an album that, in part and only in part (as I explicitly mentioned) seeks a very simple form of communication.

I largely agree with your second post, although I still think it's an extraordinary album in its intentions, so it deserves a 5 (after revision): as for Picasso, his journey has certainly been difficult, but the results, while they may be defined as childish, seem to me anything but cerebral.. regarding this album, I have never denied its cerebral nature.. in fact, I talked about a clash of different components.. the fact remains that I wouldn't know how to define a melody like that of Atlas as anything but (purposely) "elementary".. or the "half gay" keyboards that pop up from time to time with their more or less elementary phrases in almost every track.