Album review: Battles, 'Gloss Drop'
3.5 stars (out of 4)
Battles -- a collection of indie-rock stalwarts with tenure in Helmet, Don Caballero and Lynx -- is busy proving that complicated, sometimes noisy music can be fun. Its 2007 full-length debut, “Mirrored,” combined electronic distortion, hypnotic rhythms and the oddball vocal melodies of Tyondai Braxton, who has since left the group to pursue solo projects. In his stead, holdovers Dave Konopka, Ian Williams, and John Stanier have brought in a handful of ringers to augment the tracks on “Gloss Drop” (Warp). Gary Numan sounds more robotic than some of the machines the trio employs, and members of the Boredoms and Blonde Redhead contribute effects that function more as textural and rhythmic scenery rather than traditional lead vocals. The heavy lifting is once again done by the core instrumentalists, who place a premium on springy groove and tonal brightness no matter how tangled the arrangements, from the Caribbean effervescence of “Dominican Fade” to the glitchy celebration of “Ice Cream.” “Playful” isn’t often the first word that comes to mind when listening to music with this kind of cerebral veneer, but it’s a perfectly apt description of Battles’ subversive and frequently delightful brand of avant-pop.
greg@gregkot.com