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Battlestations - Battlestations CD (album) cover

BATTLESTATIONS

Battlestations

 

Post Rock/Math rock

3.76 | 28 ratings

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Conor Fynes
Prog Reviewer
4 stars 'Battlestations' - Battlestations (8/10)

Belgian instrumental act Battlestations may deserve the post-rock label, but much like Godspeed You! Black Emperor, they shirk away from the traditional soft-heavy dynamics, and conventional build-ups that define the genre. I must say that it is refreshing to hear a new band in post-rock attempt to do something a little different. Making texture and atmosphere the centerpiece of what they do, Battlestations crafts a cinematic wave of sound here, although its devotion to ambiance may turn away those listeners looking for something more immediate.

The self-titled debut of this band is broken into three pieces, two of which being nineteen minutes long. However, 'Battlestations' virtually flows as one continuous piece of music, there is enough quiet on the album to keep a listener from realizing the tracks have changed, unless they know when it's coming. The music may be best labelled as 'ambient', being that these compositions are built around creating interesting sounds, rather than melodies or rhythmic patterns. There are subtle build-ups and even climaxes, but Battlestations never quite lets completely loose. On one hand, this makes the music quite challenging to really get into unless the listener is seeking for an hour of relatively peaceful music. The sound here is brought forth mostly through the use of reverb-laden, atmospheric guitars and a wide range of electronic instruments. Despite being uneventful on the surface, there are plenty of ideas that play throughout these compositions, shyly repeating themselves and creating a sense of flow within the music. There is a definite sense of structure to this, but the point is that its subtle.

The way Battlestations crafts collages of sound is beautiful, to say the least. A perfect descriptive word would be 'vast', in the sense that there can be so many things heard all at once, without anything necessarily jumping out and vying for the listener's attention. Speaking of moods and emotions, the album is actually relatively static, taking a stance and generally developing a single sense of ambiguity, going neither for a purely optimistic, or purely dark mood. The album as a whole leaves an impression, yet there is not a moment or track that stands out. I may have like 'Battlestations' to be a little more eventful and lively at times, taken for what it is, I do believe that the band manages to accomplish what it set out to do.

While the music does not decisively strike any emotion besides a sense of curiosity and wonder, there are spoken word movements in this album that take a very pessimistic stance. The dialogue of 'Battlestations' typically revolves around qualms of a modern society; stratification, an unfair economy, and so on. Although these parts do risk getting preachy in regards to political worldview, they serve well to supplement the imagery that the music creates. While this is an ambient piece, there is a surprising lot to explore here, with details popping up to the listener's attention in the most unlikely of moments. This is a band that is not for everyone, but Battlestations shows a great deal more potential than your run- of-the-mill post-rock act. There is a wealth of beauty here for those with the patience to exploit it.

Conor Fynes | 4/5 |

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