Battles - La Di Da Di: ALBUM REVIEW

The first thing to say about Battles is that their album art makes me hungry (check this one, too). The first thing to know about Battles is that they are a supergroup math and experimental rock band, comprised of three obscure and insanely talented muscians, drummer John Stanier from Helmet and Tomahawk; guitarist, keyboardist, loopist Ian Williams from Don Caballero; and bassist/guitarist Dave Konopka from Lynx.

And before we go any further, the second thing to know about Battles is John Stanier's epic crash cymbal.

Fun Fact: He's seriously one of my favorite drummers ever.

For three LPs now, Battles have been honing their sound, which is an eclectic mix of experimental rock, math rock, and house EDM. The best way I can put it is this: hearing a Battles song is like listening to a chocolate robot punk dance party. Sometimes, their sound has been more "robot," like on their 2007 debut LP, Mirrored; sometimes, it's been more "chocolate," like on 2011's Gloss Drop. Here they go full dance party.

Now, we need to keep in mind what Battle's idea of a dance party is. It's not a mindless, talentless, purely visceral pop venture. Rather, it's stripping their sound down all the way to the barest of bones, relying only on their instrumental chops, grooves, and ability to make weird sounds. In fact, for the first time in their career, they have developed a veritable formula for their songs to follow:

Step 1: Glitchy, catchy keyboard intro
Step 2: Hi-hat, kick, and snare-only beat
Step 3: Dynamics and more layers of glitches
Step 4: Repeat

This formula can be heard to a T on a majority of La Di Da Di, on tracks like "FF Bada," "Non-Violence," "Dot Com," Tricentennial," and "Megatouch." This predictability and straightforwardness has rubbed many a Battles fan the wrong way, myself included, at first.

I mean, c'mon, if I wanted to hear safe, 4/4 grooves I would go to Ratatat or something! The only song here that is remotely boundary pushing is "The Yabba," which breaks just about every rule in the book! It begins 5/4, it has about 5 fake starts, about 7 different sections, it's as brilliant as "Atlas" or "Sundome." Where did the Battles I used to know go??

However, once I got used to the idea that this is the most straightforward experimental rock album I'd ever heard, La Di Da Di began to reveal its gems of subtle brilliance. "Dot Com" is a perfect example: it basically defines this little song structure formula, but it also fulfills it. Each build of energy and new layer of keys are not surprising when they come, but they are so rewarding to listen to and masterfully executed. You know without a doubt that these guys know what they're doing on each moment of the album, like when they cleanse your palette with "Dot Net" after "The Yabba." Not always do their deliberate ideas excite or enchant, like on their previous LPs. But always they display mastery of their own, inimitable genre.

At it's best, it's a series of experiments with some genius moments. At worst, it could be said very simplistically that La Di Da Di is the same awesome idea repeated 12 times. It's magic at some points. It drags at others. It leaves me wanting more moments like the final section of "The Yabba" or the time signature splicing of "Flora > Fauna." But, at the end of the day, even if I wish there were more of them, these moments of genius do exist here and I keep finding more each time I listen.

OVERALL SCORE: 7.7
Battles – La Di Da Di
1. The Yabba 2. Dot Net 3. FF Bada 4. Summer Shimmer 5. Cacio e Pepe 6. Non-Violence 7. Dot Com 8. Tyne Wear 9. Tricentennial 10. Megatouch 11. Flora > Fauna 12. Luu Le	O!HTT's COLORFUL SCORING SYSTEM 9-10 Holy. Crap. You must hear this song. One of the best of the year. 7-8 I'm so glad I have ears so that I can listen to this wonderful song. 5-6 Yeah, it's passable. Contributes to the vibe of the album, but not anything to write home about. 3-4 Ehh very mediocre or seriously flawed, there's a lot better music out there, or even on this album. 0-2 Good gravy, why must this song exist? One of the worst things that will enter your ears this year.