Gloss Drop

4/5

Gloss Drop

Battles

Gloss Drop is the second studio album by American experimental rock band Battles. The band have announced a spring tour in support of the record. It is the band's first release since the departure of Tyondai Braxton. Most of the album is instrumental, but vocals are provided by various guests performers, including electronic musician Gary Numan and Blonde Redhead's Kazu Makino. "Ice Cream" was the first single to be released from the album on May 23, 2011 (2011-05-23), in both digital and 12" vinyl formats. The vinyl was limited to 3000 copies, and was notable in being released in three Read more on Last.fm.

  1. gives it a: 4/5

    A little less “agressive” sound than past albums, amazing melodies surrounded by polirythms everywhere.

  2. gives it a: 5/5

    I miss the vocals from the last album, but the guests on this album are great. Anytime I can hear Kazu from Blonde Redhead sing, I’m a happy man.

  3. gives it a: 4/5

    … inclusive diría que la partida de Tyondai les va bien.

  4. gives it a: 4/5

    Battles falls into genres I categorically dislike. This sort of spacey prog-pop is the bread and butter of college radio stations, and these bands usually come across as cop-outs who couldn’t write songs and instead opted to throw random noises together and call it ‘abstract’.

    So, imagine my surprise at the irony of accidentally hearing ‘Africastle’ on the local college radio station and actually being intrigued. A few seconds led to an entire song led to listening to the whole album and finding it to be great music. “Gloss Drop” gives you the same awkward emotion that some of the odder The Mars Volta tracks do: “I swear this song is about to fall apart any second now.” But they never (read: rarely) do.