4 out of 5

Label: Warp

Produced by: Battles

The undeniable catchiness of single ‘Ice Cream’ can make the rest of Gloss Drop difficult to appreciate, in the same way that the initial Battles EPs were split between instrumental acrobatics and experimental tracks that somewhat bored in comparison.  It furthermore doesn’t seem to help that a couple songs after that track starts the mid-album drag, where several of the songs start to blend together.  So maybe your ears – or mine, anyway – tune out, and start to fear that Battles was a flash-in-the-pan, taken over by hipsterism and the global influences heard on ‘Ice Cream’ to produce something significantly less revelatory than the previous album ‘Atlas.’

But that was just my knee-jerk reaction to singles and sell-out shows.

Because Gloss Drop is an amazing disc, pretty much from start to finish, and is actually a much more thorough and complete accomplishment than Atlas: tonally more consistent and, while seemingly sonically less varied, the songs feel richer, perhaps stemming from the group seeming more comfortable with their sound, less needing to ‘prove’ themselves (subconsciously, at least, since these are all seasoned players).  And as the freshness of ‘Ice Cream’ fades into memory, the rest of the tracks step forward to become just as poppy and powerful and fun, resulting in Gloss being a fully entertaining listen from start to finish.

Coming off of the Don Caballero fanbase, Battles – whether intended or not – had something to prove, and their first EPs seemed to both both satisfy and dismiss those expectations, trying to shoulder the group’s way into a realm where they could deliver whatever kind of noise they wanted.  This evolved into premiere album Atlas, which was big and boastful and full of ideas but not always the smoothest listen; a definite album of highlight tracks.  Gloss Drop is a much more unified front, coming across as a band (and not a supergroup), and giving off a streamlined vibe of movement for its whole runtime, all the more impressive given that the first set of tracks were scrapped after some band member shuffles.  The vocal guest stars (Gary Numan, Kazu Makino) feel fully integrated, and as impossible as it seems, the songs feel like you could experience them live.  I think the same is true for Atlas, that most of this stuff could actually be played live, but there was a gloss over that session that, ironically, given the album title, isn’t felt on Gloss Drop’s more immediate sound.

There is a bit of a sequencing snafu felt post track 3, where the hook from Inchworm sounds too similar to previous track Futura, and followup Wall Street takes a similar tact.  Taken individually, these are solid tracks, just the sonic range and style blends together when they’re set side-by-side.  The album avoids these hangups elsewhere by spreading out the vocal tracks, or including some short experimental pieces, such Toddler, and Rolls Bayce.  Tying everything together, though, are a pair of excellent closers: White Electric, which brings in the sense of momentous build at which some of Atlas’ tracks excelled, and Sundome, which starts out like a summary of many of the aural elements from the disc and then swirls it all into a unique and powerful concoction that’s perfect for a closing track.

I dug Atlas, and definitely put it through its paces, but I couldn’t deny that it never quite felt as strong as I wanted it to be.  Nonetheless, expectations were high for Gloss Drop, setting it in the impossible position of having to try something new – which it did – but then foiling me when it wasn’t the same ol’ Battles I thought I knew.  Time, maturity, whatever: I’m listening to Gloss again and its solidity astounds.  I thirst for this disc in a way I never quite did with Atlas.  So I’m glad to review it now, and give it an appropriately high rating, and to poo poo on past me’s poor judgement.