GLOSS DROP

"Gloss Drop" might just be the most fun, colorful album of the year.

Battles have received plenty of acclaim with their full length debut "Mirrored" back in 2007.2011's "Gloss Drop" is the sophomore album, ad definitely the most accessible so far. In fact, this album might just be the most fun, colorful album of the year, one of those enjoyable but still complex albums a Prog fan would appreciate quite a bit, even the genre doesn't really fit when describing the album.

Whoever is familiar with Battles knows how cheerful their music sounds. "Gloss Drop" goes in no different direction; the main instrument here are keyboards and synths, that have a somewhat far-east taste to them. The rhythm section is probably the most responsible element for the attribution of the label Math Rock to the band. In fact, they are very typical of that kind of music, being fast, complex, and with many time changes. The vocals are not always present, and when they are, the special guests are the ones to get the job done, since singer Tyondai Braxton left the band in 2010,therefore leaving the band without any vocalist.

Even though the band does have a more Math Rock influence like mentioned, they also give warm welcome to Neo-Psychedelic music, Dub, Reggae, and, why not, progressive rock too. The "Gloss Drop" experience is like being in front of tons of different type of candy, and you eat it all, until maybe you get a little sick of it. Yes, it is 53 minutes long, but I do believe it gets a little boring after a while. The album is consistent to the point where it gets a little too rigid and needs a little more variety, especially for such colorful type of music. They are definite highlights, like the single "Ice Cream", which reminds a bit of Animal Collective, or the impressive "Wall Street". The opener "Africastle" is also quite good, a perfect intro for the album. The so called fillers are also, surprisingly, enjoyable, very unique sounding in both instrumentation and songwriting.

"Gloss Drop" is overall a really good release, I would easily recommend this to anyone who is fond of Math rock, but also to the whoever is into experimental rock in general. I can see why this album has been getting a lot of praise, and it certainly deserves most of it.

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