I’ve noticed I get drawn to recordings that hint at a really visceral core, something that already has that voodoo that gets your blood running, makes you a little hot under the collar. I can see myself in a room with other sweaty people chanting these choruses. What a great thing for music to do.
Four young musicians from upstate New York, Battle Ave. have a sophistication to their sound that caught me off guard. These songs are textured and thoughtfully worked on. And if you like Titus Andronicus, these guys are for you. Their debut album “War Paint” was produced by Kevin McMahon (Ahhhh–he has also worked with Titus Andronicus, Real Estate, SWANS and The Walkmen) and he really plays up the band’s strengths of combining slow-tempo buildups with rapturous climaxes.
Seriously, these guys are good at epic buildups–there’s practically one in every song! It’s an interesting thing with Battle Ave., because the songs tend to be pretty mid-tempo a lot of the time, yet there is a great deal of urgency in what they are saying. From the way vocalist and guitarist Jesse Alexander delivers his lines, from a quiet chant in “Puke Lust” to a drunkard’s anthemic war cry in “” “” to the way Samantha Niss’s near-perfect percussion channels this buildup loud and clear with strong support from bassist Max Schwartz and Adam Stoutenburgh on guitar, keys and sometimes trumpet!
This energy is a cry for someone to hear or maybe more importantly to listen. Still it’s funny that though the songs tend to be on very long, the apex far in the distance, once it gets there, it all makes sense. I’m not sure why I was sitting on this ride for so long, but it comes together in the end and you are glad you took the trip.
One of my favorite tracks from them is “K. Divorce (For Mildred)”, a real standout and I think a tease at what could become a more frequent part of their sound. You can tell the guys have played together for some time because they’ve developed a real sound for themselves. Here the elements of the buildup are still present, but exquisitely mixed with soaring guitar parts and adrenaline-pumping drumming, yet an off beat, not unlike something from a polka, that adds just that right amount of something different.
I get small reminders of Built to Spill‘s classic “Perfect From Now On” when I listen to this song, but lest I lead you astray, dear reader, they sound nothing like BTS. Again though, that mixture of soft and hard, with no typical strong structure in sight, yet beautifully thought out melodies that stick with you–these elements are all here and they are allll right. For a limited time, get their album “War Paint” for absolutely free off their Bandcamp–it’s so good.
Battle Ave. wears its heart on its sleeve, and you’ll want to roll yours up and pump your fist to this one.
Connect with Battle Ave. – Battle Ave. | Bandcamp | Facebook | Twitter | Tumblr
Battle Ave – Puke Lust
Battle Ave – Oh Other, You Brother
Battle Ave – Whose Hands Are These?
