POST-ROCK

It’s now almost summer, which means two things – hopefully more sunshine, and the bulk of the ArcTanGent line-up announcements. This year, that means a Battles headline set, or in other words, Christmas come early.

In terms of upcoming releases, the most notable is the excellent new EP. (Unearthly Vision) contains one three-part, 15-minute sequence, and then one additional cut. It’s not quite as muscular or kinetic as their previous releases, but darker and more low-key. Its excesses, when they come, retain something of a Mars Volta quality to them, but there’s also looming large a reaffirmed King Crimson influence, and some of the oppressive classic metal doominess of Black Sabbath, intercut with saxophones and guitars trading licks. It says a lot about the band, and the wider scene, that a release would feature a guest appearance from Stewart Lee, the legendary cult comedian, on the track .