Mirrored

Battles

Mirrored

March, 2007

Alternative/Indie Rock

Loud, funny, astonishingly sophisticated -- and not in the least pretentious -- Battles' debut album gave free rein to the hyperkinetic style they hinted at with their early EPs. Tribal yet slick, playful yet precise, the band's labyrinthine dances of Krautrock, math rock and prog remain utterly infectious listening.

- Thom Jurek

The Return of the Durutti Column

The Durutti Column

The Return of the Durutti Column

January, 1980

Alternative/Indie Rock

The misleadingly titled debut from the Durutti Column is an unassuming but enormously pretty album of guitar instrumentals with clear, unobtrusive production Martin Hannett. It's hard to imagine anything else sounding like this album when it came out at the beginning of the '80s, and it sounds just as distinctive and timeless now. Just listen to opening track "Sketch for Summer" and you'll be hooked for life.

- Paul Simpson