Battles: Gloss Drop

Label: Warp

Alongside Tune-Yards' Whokill, this new Battles album signals a new dedication in 2011 to the craft of forming music. That sounds horribly dry -- and anyone who's heard Battles before knows they're fantastic musicians -- but on Gloss Drop, a beautifully packaged album, the trio (since Ty Braxton's departure) puts forth track after track of immaculately shaped, immensely pleasing rhythmic pop. The chiming and charming single "Ice Cream," which features Kompakt star Matias Aguayo, is one of the few songs here to feature vocals; elsewhere, songs such as "Inchworm" give the impression of a band hard at work, heads down, lost in their craft, diligently working interlocking rhythmic and melodic patterns. And frankly, if you've watched Battles play, that's exactly what it looks like! Gloss Drop is the sort of album that can power you through household chores or charge a humdrum day. Check it out!