album of the week: 8.5

Battles

Gloss Drop

(2011)

why you'll love it: Unbelievably well performed music. Catchy AND still weird!

why you'll hate it: Not as dark or epic as last album.

For a more detailed and colorful review, I'll have to defer to this guy's dissertation of Gloss Drop. He basically says everything I have to say about this album. Battles has indeed stepped up to impossible odds by taking on the recording of an album as a trio. Using a Gorrilaz approach of guest performers, they've managed to delver something that meets the undefinable and musically impressive charm that Mirrored (2007) was, without riding its coattails into the future.

Missing from Mirrored is a structured oppressive theme, which still makes that album my preference. Its hyperactive paranoia is a one of a kind feeling… but I don't miss it. Battles' attempt to branch out to a wider audience is a success, and without dumbing down their TIGGGGGGGGGGGHT layering and performance. John Stanier's drumming is still inhumanly precise; and while the iconic (or hated) pitch-shifting vocals of Mirrored has disappeared, the "who's who" of guest performers add just as much of an unique flavor to each song.

Track by track, I have very little to complain about. Without the pitch-shifing, I think a lot of old-school fans feel vindicated, as the instrumentals now resemble something that their debut EPs have produced. "Africastle", "Futura", and "Sundome" lack the fantastic climaxes of songs like "Tij" and "Atlas", but the journey to them is now more enjoyable. All of the guests are fantastic. Matias Aguayo's "what language is this?" contribution to "Ice Cream" combined with that swirling keyboard rhythm, makes for the perfect introduction to Battles. Kazu Makino's fragile vocals provide a grounding natural beauty to the sci-fi fantasy world Battles creates. Gary Numan does little more than evoke "dude, that's Gary Numan", but it's still a good song. And of course Yamantaka Eye working with Battles is a match made in heaven.

Living up to their reputation, you won't find a much more musically impressive album than this, and none this accessible. This album had a lot of expectations to meet and questions to answer. It confronted all of them and prevailed. One of 2011's best.