When frontman Tyondai Braxton left Battles towards the end of recording sessions for their highly anticipated second album proper, many onlookers may have expected the remaining members to struggle to fill the gap. Battles are, however, a very different sort of band. A group of battle-hardened jazz and avant-garde veterans, they’ve assessed the work they managed to complete with Braxton and reshaped it, employing an eclectic team of guest vocalists to fill the melodic gaps.
Anybody expecting Gloss Drop to show signs of a band in mid-disintegration will be surprised to learn that, for the most part, Gloss Drop is an exuberant joy. Whereas Battles’ early releases were perhaps easier to admire than love, this time around there’s a sense of visceral abandon from the outset, which is at once thrilling and more accessible. Lead single Ice Cream proves to be something of a red herring: a slice of sunshine before the astonishing suite of Futura, Inchworm and Wall Street. Elsewhere, Gary Numan lends his vocal talents to the industrial My Machines, while the group perhaps save the best for last with the fantastic Sundrome. One of the most impressive live bands around, Gloss Drop sees Battles match that form on record.
