Review: Battles - Gloss Drop

After frontman Tyondai Braxton left NYC math-rock band Battles to focus on his solo work, I wasn't really sure what would happen to the band's dynamic. After all, Braxton seemed to be the primary songwriting force in the group, and his goofy manipulated vocals added charm and character to the outrageous tracks on their excellent debut, Mirrored. The three remaining members soldiered on, and in June they'll officially drop their second record, and first without Braxton, Gloss Drop. Luckily, Braxton's departure didn't make this group any less fun to listen to.

Gloss Drop features many of the same elements that made Mirrored so great, lots of fast songs with complex instrumentation and polyrhythms. Since none of the members are particularly strong vocalists, a few of the songs feature guest vocalists in place of the departed Braxton. The strongest of these performances, and the one that adds the most to the song, is Matias Aguayo's work on first single "Ice Cream." His silly, gibbering singing adds a sense of playfulness to the track as it bounces along, it's actually almost like a ska revival kinda feel.

Most of the songs are purely instrumental, and out of these come the strongest tracks. "Futura" is the standout, a six-minute buildup of stacking guitar and synth lines over an constantly varied drumbeat that repeatedly climaxes in a frenzied burst of synths and then resets to do it all again. "Wall Streeet" is the most fun song here, a ridiculously fast and bubbly track with a climax that sounds vaguely eastern European (this is kinda hard to explain, listen to it and maybe you'll hear what I mean).

The record, like so many recently, is frontloaded with all the best songs, and it slows down a little at the end. Closer "Sundome" is a pretty big yawn when juxtaposed with the upbeatness of the rest of the album. Still, Gloss Drop is a triumph for Battles' new lineup, and I for one hope that they continue to record fun, happy music like this. 3.9/5.

(Sorry I could only find the one link, since this album isn't due to be released for another month or so, there aren't any up yet.)