Album Review: Battles - La Di Da Di
By Eli Shively, Contributor
[Warp; 2015]
Rating: 4/5
Key Tracks: “Summer Simmer,” “Dot Com”
Founded in 2002 by Don Caballero guitarist Ian Williams, Battles have slowly developed their eclectic brand of math-pop over the years--from a more hook-focused style featuring vocals to an instrumentally driven, experimental smorgasbord of sounds. On the band’s third LP, La Di Da Di, they continue to progress and explore new territory.
Unlike their previous full-length, 2011’s Gloss Drop, La Di Da Di does away with vocals altogether, instead offering lead textures by way of bloopy, lo-fi synth lines. Although they’ve toyed around with chiptune-y sounds in the past, Battles have both feet firmly planted within that particular style this time around, and that’s not a bad thing by any means.
Tracks like “Dot Net” and “Summer Simmer” provide plenty of groovy, interesting instrumentals to pay attention to, while experimenting with a variety of sounds in the background--guitar and an array of percussion, mostly--to keep things interesting. “Dot Com” is a great example of this, featuring short bursts of electric guitar interjecting itself into the middle of the landscape, catching the listener off guard in the most sonically pleasant way possible.
Unfortunately, there’s not a lot here to look at from a thematic or lyrical standpoint--by offering no vocal parts on any of the songs this time around, Battles sacrificed one of the main reasons why their previous two LPs were so enthralling. However, creatively speaking, La Di Da Di definitely has more to offer than anything the band has put out in the past. For a group that’s proven itself time and time again as one of the most freewheelingly creative projects of the past several years, that's a huge accomplishment.
