BATTLESTATIONS

Creating enigmas and myths around a band is always a particularly charismatic entry into the scene of music intrigue. If this same band, hidden under the coat of mystery, happens to encounter the right kind of audience, then urban legends begin to be written. And if the band possesses the thing that actually counts ' music, this magical, invisible substance of the most legendary of musical myths, then it is hardly difficult to not think about this band as potentially legendary.

Enigmas, mysteries, myth-making... the whole image can be based on a very specific style of music. A style that itself creates the same illusion as with its appearance, but rather with sound. I am not talking about a band that is leaning on the various myths as is the Cthulhu one, although their dark music could as well be paralleled with Lovecraft's horror writing. This band is a quite young one (although that is no really known), and the members come from Belgium. The number of musicians in the band ' unknown. Their identity ' unknown. Their ability to create the most incredible music ' unbelievable.

Battlestations, the band in question, took the progressive, post-rock and similarly-oriented scene faster than Julius Caesar can say 'Veni, Vidi, Vici'. Their self-titled album came so unexpected that it took everyone by surprise. Band started to modestly advertise their music more or less through various forums, inviting everyone to listen to their music. For free, of course. And after that, everyone that tried to find out more about this mysterious band ' and the ones that tried to do that were quite a few ' found ' zero. Nada. The only thing that was known about them was the only thing that the band itself wanted to be known about them ' their music. And maybe that is why their music is special. So special that people stopped wondering about their identity and accepted music as their sole one.

The self-titled album is made-up of three segments. Each segment has its own theme, its own story, which is kind of reminiscent of the classical music. But Battlestations can hardly be called classical. Truth be told, they can't be really placed in a genre.

Segment 1, the longest track on the album, is called 'No Survivors'. It is divided into 10 passages, each with its own story, each with its own victim. Thoroughly melancholic music, which is not particular only to this segment, but to the whole album, is complemented with numerous samples of speeches. These are blurred, almost inaudible, full of white noise. But the formula for the band's tracks is not even near completion. The music ' Segment 1 as well as the other two ' is full of obscure experimenting. There are numerous attempts at making something fresh with everything today's modern electronics have to offer - countless electronic manipulations, doubling of electric and acoustic guitars through discord, ethereal vocals pasted onto a instrumental without a rhythm. Tangerinedreamish approach to creating various sound barriers never felt so fresh. Maybe because this time, they are mixed with so many other genres that simply weren't there in the 70's. Shoegaze, piano music, progressive rock and post-rock are all transcendentally mixed into this magical genreless cocktail, which succeeds in creating an illusion of a full-blown orchestra, even though the music is quite minimalistic. Segment 2 and 3 ' 'The Taste Of The Kill' and 'Accidents Of Ideals' ' continue with the melancholic post-apocalyptic mental ravage, which is abstracted to its musical fullest.

The entry into the postmodern, self-searching musical commune is therefore perfect. Charismatic, mysterious, sudden, but at the same time incredibly modest. Like blitzkrieg without the ammunition. Winning the people over with the purest form of the most abstract substance there is ' music.

Rating: 4.3/5 (4 stars)