Battles : NPR

Battles' new album, La Di Da Di, comes out Sept. 18. Grant Cornett/Courtesy of the artist hide caption

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Grant Cornett/Courtesy of the artist

Review

Review: Battles, 'La Di Da Di'

September 9, 2015 • Careful displays of sophisticated musicality sit next to wobbling, monstrous sounds on the band's new album of instrumental broken-robot rock.

The White Stripes, Rufus Wainwright, Elliott Smith

May 10, 2007 • Unreleased rarities from Elliott Smith and more.

The White Stripes, Rufus Wainwright, Elliott Smith

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Battles plays the Convention Hall on Saturday night.

Gisel Florez for NPR hide caption

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Gisel Florez for NPR

Battles In Concert: ATP Festival 2011

October 4, 2011 • Sparklingly technical and mind-numbingly joyful, Battles performed at All Tomorrow's Parties.

Battles In Concert: ATP Festival 2011

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Not Hummable: a Band Called Battles

December 17, 2007 • A New York-based rock quartet, Battles create a loud collage of music that's not exactly catchy, but is absolutely memorable.

Not Hummable: a Band Called Battles

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Review

Battles Creates a Musical Hall of Mirrors

September 10, 2007 • Battles looks like a normal quartet, but it doesn't act like one. Band members play two or three instruments simultaneously and then digitally loop the sounds they've just made. So the group, in essence, becomes five, six or seven members at once.

Battles Creates a Musical Hall of Mirrors

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Review

A Spaz-Funk Marching Band's Riot of Unpredictability

June 6, 2007 • Battles' "Tonto" plays a little like an improv dance workout, only turned on its head — a quick storm of noise followed by a slow, circling fade so deliberate, you can almost feel your heart rate drop. The band maintains tension with every pinging guitar and echoing synth.

The Mind-Blowing, Mysterious Moogfest: Festival Recap

Clockwise from upper left, all taken at Moogfest: costumed fans at the Animoog Playground, Atlas Sound, fans reacting to one of the live sets, The Field, a dewy-eyed fan. Adam Kissick for NPR hide caption

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Adam Kissick for NPR

All Songs Considered

The Mind-Blowing, Mysterious Moogfest: Festival Recap

November 1, 2011 • Host Bob Boilen and NPR Music reporter Jacob Ganz look back at the unusual and remarkable music festival known as Moogfest.

The Mind-Blowing, Mysterious Moogfest: Festival Recap

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Two Experimental Rock Bands Stay True To Their Roots

Cheer-Accident. Kerry Anne Kronke hide caption

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Kerry Anne Kronke

Review

Music Reviews

Two Experimental Rock Bands Stay True To Their Roots

Fresh Air

August 23, 2011 • The New York trio Battles and the Chicago-based experimental rock band Cheer-Accident come from very different directions. But critic Milo Miles says that both groups have recently put out their most appealing records, without losing their cerebral side.

Two Experimental Rock Bands Stay True To Their Roots

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Battles: Plenty Loud As An Army Of Three

Battles' second album, Gloss Drop, is its first as a trio. Left to right: Ian Wiiliams (guitar, keyboards), John Stanier (drums), Dave Konopka (bass, guitar, effects). Courtesy of the artist hide caption

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Courtesy of the artist

Music Interviews

Battles: Plenty Loud As An Army Of Three

July 15, 2011 • Despite losing its lead singer last year, the inventive New York band sounds no less frenzied and intricate on its second album, Gloss Drop.

Battles: Still Plenty Loud As An Army Of Three

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For all its summer-jam ambitions in "Ice Cream," Battles brings precision and muscle even to the frivolous stuff. Jason Frank Rothenberg hide caption

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Jason Frank Rothenberg

Review

Song Of The Day

Battles: Sunny Skies Over Stormy Seas

May 3, 2011 • For all its summer-jam ambitions in "Ice Cream," Battles brings precision and muscle even to the frivolous stuff.

Gloss Drop

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