Battles moves up from the underground

Since late April, a debate has raged on songmeanings.net , a website where fans can discuss pop music lyrics: What is Tyondai really saying? Who is "rolling in the dollar"? Is it true that "people won't be people when they eat a sandwich"? And why is the singer a crook?

The topic is a propulsive, robotic symphony called "Atlas," and Tyondai is Tyondai Braxton , a member of experimental rock act Battles. Formed in 2004 by a quartet of seasoned musicians, Battles is a fixture on New York's underground circuit. But in "Atlas," a departure from some of the band's more difficult instrumental constructions, Braxton and company have found sudden success.

"That was always primarily our intention with that song," bassist and guitarist Dave Konopka said recently. "We wanted to create a banger of sorts."

"Atlas" is a strange and hypnotic thing -- a pop tune built around a mechanized vamp and a martial drum beat. The vocals enter after about 45 seconds, with a manipulated squeak; each chorus sounds like Mickey Mouse being sucked into a busted blender stuck on "pulse." (Hear it at myspace.com/battlestheband. ) The song has caused much confusion among lyrics purists, who can't make out Braxton's words.

"I'm sure it's not sandwich," one user recently wrote on song meanings.net. "I'm sure it's 'sound' or 'sample.' "

"I just thought of something," another wondered, referencing an earlier interpretation. "Where my version says 'kitchen is cooked,' it could be 'killer is crooked.' "

Either way, Konopka says, he's thrilled with the way "Atlas" seems to grab people, from online fans down to "the sorority girl at BC, who caught the video on YouTube." And he knows from the motivational college anthem -- he attended Massachusetts College of Art, and played in a longtime Boston band called Lynx.

Battles, which plays the Paradise on Wednesday, is still finding its footing nationally. The band's masterful new album, "Mirrored," has been a critical smash, and the mesmerizing music video for "Atlas," directed by Timothy Saccenti, is a Web favorite. Still, "Mirrored" is a difficult thing to immediately digest -- it's thickly textured, and always mechanically treated. Riffs and backbeats are looped; vocals are inflated, diced, and processed. The mainstays of a traditional pop song -- a chorus, a verse, and a bridge -- are elided, undercut, or eliminated entirely.

"They're sort of weird at times, which usually doesn't help, but they are also physical, heavy, and techy," says Eric Copeland, a member of New York-based electro act Black Dice. "Each one of those elements has its own sub-audience in a way. And some crossover, too."

"These are all guys who have been doing this a long time," Copeland adds. "They're sincere about making music and not working a trend."

That commitment, says Konopka, is the result of "a lot of different ideas sparking off each other." It's also a byproduct of the diverse background of Battles' members. Braxton is the son of experimental composer Anthony Braxton , and an acclaimed solo performer in his own right. Drummer John Stanier played with alt-metal staple Helmet, and guitarist Ian Williams was a member of instrumental outfit Don Caballero. Lynx, Konopka's old band, produced mostly dense math rock.

The best of "Mirrored," which is the band's first record for respected indie label Warp, pulls strands of these styles together, without disintegrating into the hazy experimental rock confusion.

The glitchy stomp of "Tonto," for instance, is never washed out by extraneous noise; "Leyendecker," the next track, weaves an eerie, flickering vocal line between shuddering synth surges.

There is a virtuosic complexity to Battles' music -- a score that borders on the orchestral.

Noah Lennox is an electro musician who plays solo under the name Panda Bear . He writes in an e-mail: "Like a lot of musicians I know these days Battles don't fit so perfect with any one thing or kind of music so much and I'd say that's the one thing that unites (thematically I suppose) a lot of groups now that I think are really good. That translates into much more undefinable music."

As Konopka points out, "Mirrored" can be processed on different levels, by those who understand the pop primacy of "Atlas" or, alternatively, by those who are willing to work through digressive tunes like "Race: In."

"You can listen to a band that stresses only musicianship over feeling, and that can be boring," he said. "I feel there has to be a healthy dose of energy -- just musicianship can turn to pure wankery. Then again, there are bands out there that play with pure energy."

He paused, then laughed. " But you wouldn't want to cook breakfast for your girlfriend with that playing in the background."

As for the lyrics to "Atlas," after an initial interview with Konopka, I spent some time writing out potential lyrics to the song -- mixing and matching suggestions from songmeanings.net.

Two days later, I called Konopka back on his cellphone and asked him if the words to the chorus scanned as "the chorus doesn't matter."

"Yes, that's right. But what was the second part?" he asked.

I told him it could be, "The singer is a crook."

"No," he said, and laughed. "No, that's totally wrong."