By Luke Trimble
Staff Writer
Although many fans were puzzled by Battles’ decision to wait to release their second studio album, “Gloss Drop,” once leaked copies began to surface on the internet almost a month and a half prior, the band continued to maintain its wonderful, experimental sound.
Battles, the American experimental rock band hailing from New York, released their second full length album on June 7 on the Warp Records label. Since its leak circa mid-April, “Gloss Drop” has enjoyed positive reception from online fans. Many even believe that it is Battles’ most accessible album to date.
It is never easy for a band to follow up a superb debut album, and so was the case with Battles. Nevertheless Battles has surprised fans and, after a few changes to the group roster, they managed to put out the best album with a cover depicting melted pink silly string with a bottom-of-the-Spanish-class-desk-gum texture.
Since its conception in 2002, Battles has churned out a substantial amount of music, yet the group fell out of the spotlight for the past four years following their 2007 album “Mirrored.” “Mirrored” is Battles’ most well received album to date and solidified their place in the music industry, earning them a myriad of ‘best of’ awards from the online music world.
However, the group’s previous success could be attributed to the hypnotic rhythms and the oddball vocal melodies of vocalist Tyondai Braxton, who departed from the group in early 2010. Braxton’s place has since been filled by various guest performances and in the case of “Gloss Drop,” with electronic musician Gary Newman and Blonde Redhead’s talented guitarist, Kazu Makino.
Battles has shied away from the melodic discombobulation of “Mirrored” and instead made their music in a new, more listener-friendly way for “Gloss Drop.” The album opens with a faraway, almost symphonic rattle of Africastle looping like a carnival ride.
Holding true to their math rock style, the band’s sound is generally dominated by guitars and drums, while tapering down to a few cartoonish beeps on the same track. “Ice Cream” is the group’s best attempt at making pop-friendly music and features Matias Aguayo’s rhythmic style of grunting. So far, “Ice Cream” is the only single to have been released. Another single is being release around the middle of June.
When skimming through the album, one can feel a child-like playfulness woven into the lighthearted and upbeat melodies. Sporadic and random like a distorted nursery rhyme, Battles’ “Gloss Drop” continues to impress music listeners abroad and push the boundaries of what we consider music.
Although not as musically groundbreaking as “Mirrored,” “Gloss Drop” is just as complex and noisy, while proving to be fun. Regardless of one’s taste in music, Battles’ “Gloss Drop” is a well-structured piece of summer fun that will be enjoyed by all. It is available for preview and purchase now on iTunes or Amazon.
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