Battles - Gloss Drop (2011)

In some ways I like Gloss Drop more than their massively-hyped debut Mirrored (2007). That album had some excellent tracks, like “Atlas” and “Tonto,” but spent too much time not doing anything all that compelling. I enjoyed the album, but there were about 50 albums that came out that year that I liked more. I did think that Battles were as true a blend of electronic music and rock music as I’d ever heard. Both elements are about as central to their music as the other.

The most notable difference is that Tyondai Braxton’s vocals are absent. Without him, the band is largely an instrumental band, in fact, Gloss Drop listens like something of an electronic jam band. That high-pitched bell-like electronic effect that appeared on Mirrored is all over this albums. It’s absolutely inescapable and it gets irritating after a while. John Stanier’s drums play an especially prominent role in their music, with his chaotic stuttering beats, but the combination of his beats (which blend together after a while) and that bell sound become kind of irritating.

While there are subtle differences between most of the songs, and not-so-subtle differences between the others, this album kind of does sound too similar throughout. That bell sound kills me because I think I would enjoy this thing a lot without it. Battles are a talented band but too self-indulgent for my liking, at least thus far, two albums into their career.

I quite like the more straightforward track “Sweetie & Shag” which features Kazu Makino on vocals. Also, “Africastle” takes some interesting turns and “My Machines” creates some interesting tension.