Battles - Mirrored CD (Softpak)

MIRRORED, the long awaited third album release from New York quartet Battles, has proven to be well worth the wait. A complete eclipse of their earlier work, MIRRORED embodies all the prior ideas and qualities that have surrounded the group and extrapolates exponentially upon them. The fractured rhythms, crystalline staccato guitar lines and throttling drums still remain. New textures and horizons become attainable through the addition of focal courtesy of Tyondai Braxton, though the vocals certainly aren't what one would expect. Creatively applied and manipulated through various forms of technical expertise, the addition of these vocals evoke qualities of a completely new and innovative instrument, with or without the use of lyrics.