“Basically, we were trying to make a Clash album with an acoustic guitar,” says Kingsley Flood’s Naseem Khuri (vocals/ rhythm guitar) of this year’s Battles. After lineup changes and finding a great producer in Sam Kassirer, the six-piece wanted to take advantage of violin and saxophone, sounds heard on Bob Wills records and the interplay between horn and strings. They recorded Battles in rural Maine, where they also spent their spare time playing Wiffle ball, shooting BB guns and listening to The Kinks. “We kept ourselves open to surprises, like an impromptu carnival breakdown, a sloppy and dirty rock song, or a dog barking,” he says. “Each story is a snapshot of some bigger idea.” Khuri met bassist (and roommate) Nick Balkin via Craigslist in 2008 and found the other band members through the Boston music scene. Besides throwing Frisbees from the stage, “we want to connect with the crowd and put on a show, not just play a collection of songs,” Khuri says. For now, they’re in heavy writing and touring mode and hope to record a new album in late fall or early winter. “We’re going to be on the road a lot and play our hearts out,” he says. “And we’re going to bring a level of urgency and intensity to what we’re doing.”