They’ve had their music defined under the umbrella of ‘math rock’, an attempt it seems to describe the seemingly rythmic, electronically-calculated sound that flows from Battles. Yet they hate it. It evokes negative connotations of “boredom, and nerds” Konopka says to Toazted. “Like we make music with this” (points to head), “and none of this” (points at his heart). “Or this” Konopka adds, “a little mojo”, pointing at his crotch. Regardless though, it’s hard to fault them as artists. While their newest album released in 2011, ‘Gloss Drop’, didn’t reach the same critical acclaim as it’s predecessor, it’s still a beautiful collaboration. Battles fans are seemingly divided on the “Ice Cream” though, with ‘die-hard’ followers seeing it as a major step away from what made ‘Mirrored’ the masterpiece it is. I personally like it.

If you still don’t recognise them though, then maybe their track ‘Atlas’ will spark your memory, another one from the ‘Mirrored’ album. This song has found it’s way around pop-media; with it being used in the teen-drama ‘Skins’, ‘Top Gear’, ‘Torchwood’, a Honda advertisement as well as a level in the popular PS3 game ‘LittleBigPlanet’.

Filmed by LaBlogotheque, a hair-raising performance of ‘Futura’ in a chapel:

- Download ‘Rainbows’