Album Review: Battles, "Gloss Drop"

Full disclosure - Before this album even came out, when it was announced that Tyondai Braxton was leaving Battles, for a short time my life goal was to replace him and be in this band. I would call myself a fan. However, I do not think that disqualifies me from looking at the album, Gloss Drop, with a discerning eye. But just so you know.

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Last year, a friend and I went to a local theater to see The American, a Focus Features film starring George Clooney very much in the European slow-burn thriller genre. My friend, not being used to the drawn out camera pans and the West Wing-style "walk and talks," fell asleep soon into the movie. I must admit, I had a hard time with the entire thing; growing up on Mission Impossible and the Bourne series, I have an affinity for movies where shit blows up within the first fifteen to twenty minutes. 

The reason for this anecdote that none of you care about is that Gloss Drop plays out like one of Lynch's slowest burners; while the innovation shown in their first full length, Mirrors, still comes through, there are no tracks like "Atlas" or "Ddiamondd" that take that innovation and bash you over the head with it a la Jason Bourne. Instead, the main features of this album are the 6+ minute songs that take time to develop, as the trio get creative with keyboard and guitar loops and, as always, drummer John Stanier's robot arms. 

The secret to Battles' rhythmic intensity

The lead track, "Africastle," sets the stage for the rest of the album with a slow buildup of processed guitar and bass loops, and the "main section" doesn't really occur until 1:50 when Stanier a slightly off-balanced beat around which the guitar licks mutate into variations on certain ideas. This continues until the instrumental breakdown, from which the track never fully recovers. As an opener, I am glad they didn't give too much away on the first track, but I do think the climax of this song happened relatively early, leaving room for what could have been a second buildup or (my favorite) a false buildup. 

The rest of the disc features an interesting array of guests. With the departure of Tyondai Braxton, Battles had to find different vocalists to appear on this LP. While losing a quite-talented lead singer, they were able to nab some impressive talent for cameos on this disc. "Sweetie and Shag" features Blonde Redhead singer Kazu Makino, who dubs over herself to create a tone that mirrors that of the processed guitars backing her. With such a unique voice, however, she would have to try not to steal the show in this song, which, to an extent, she does. An interesting cameo is from Gary Numan (this guy) in the track "My Machines," an angst-ridden track (appropriate for Numan) in which the trio behind keep to a minimal pallet of materials to let his voice carry through."Ice Cream," the radio-friendly second track that was released as the first single off of this record, features the talented chops of Chilean-born sound artist Matias Aguayo. This track begins with one of my favorite buildups of all time, with Aguayo grunting on the beat that slowly speeds up with keyboards and drums in the background. When the buildup ends, the drums cut out for a few measures, but when they come back in they create the most danceable Battles track I have ever heard. To be sure, there are numerous technical aspects going on in this song, but none of them overpower the straightforward delivery of a fun track that a friend affectionately called, "day-drunk music," which I can only assume means it would be fun to listen to this music during the day while drunk.

Stare deeply into his eyes.

My favorite track, "Sundome," features sound artist, Dadaist painter, DJ, and all-around crazy person Yamantaka Eye, known most prominently for his work with Japanese hard rock band Boredoms. This sprawling, 7+ minute track feature countless guitar lines clashing with Yamantaka yelling what sounds like random syllables (which he has done in the past). The drums do not enter until 3:45, in which Stanier lays down a straightforward beat. However, the polyrhythmic guitar and keyboard melodies that surround the drums mask any sort of simplicity in style. Yamantaka sings using a generous amount of echo, pitch shifting, and formant altering, calling to mind work by The Knife or, more apropos, Battles in "Atlas." Actually, if it weren't for the long buildup into the meat of this song, I believe it would have the potential to be Gloss Drop's own "Atlas."

Like most (talented) artists, evolution between discs is to be expected (for evidence, check out my review of Iron and Wine's live show in support of their new album). This makes any sort of comparison quite difficult, especially when the members of a group change between albums, as well. In losing what appeared to be their frontman, Battles return with a slower burning album that may not have the same initial appeal as Mirrored but can be listened to numerous times while still finding new aspects of the creative apparatus of the band. If only they could get Yamantaka to join the band full-time.