A new Battles album, their third, is definitely a cause for celebration. Few bands have the primal energy levels of the New York trio, and once again they deliver a hugely impressive and virtuosic set of instrumentals. No vocals at all this time – which might disappoint fans of ‘Ice Cream’ and the like from the Gloss Drop album – but there are plenty of percussive thrills and spills, thanks to the prodigious drumming of John Stanier. His work lifts ‘The Yabba’ to a big dinish, while even tracks such as the inoffensively titled ‘Non Violence’ still have plenty of energy. The slower jams are more atmospheric, painting a stark industrial backdrop, but there is still warmth aplenty when the shifting time signatures of ‘Tyne Wear’ and the loose limbed funk of ‘Dot Com’ get going. This is the album where Battles go back to their first principals of rhythm, and if anything make them clearer without any vocals to worry about. Instrumental music never sounded so good!
5 out of 5
Reviewed by Ben Hogwood
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