Watching Battles play live is wonderful, but it’s also like constantly being reminded of how little you have learned in life. Last time I saw them, I was thoroughly satisfied, yet I also felt like less of a man at the end. I made a goal to myself that day: “By the time Battles put out their follow-up to 2007’s Mirrored (TMT Review), I, too, will be able to play the guitar and keyboard at the same time.”
As it turns out, I have about four months to accomplish this goal. On June 7, Warp will release Gloss Drop, the group’s long-stewing second record. Roughly all the relevant information available on the record is contained on the band’s eye-straining website. To make a short story shorter, the album is 12 tracks long and contains some pretty awesome guest vocalists: Blonde Redhead’s Kazu Makino, Boredoms’ Yamantaka Eye, minimalist techno artist/scatman Matias Aguayo, and… Gary Numan! Yes, “Cars” Gary Numan! Tubeway Army Gary Numan! Numan sings on a track called “My Machines,” which is roughly as perfect as a thing can be.
Now, if you’ll excuse me, I need to get to work on this guitar + keyboard thing. The strings on a guitar, those go E-A-D-G-B-E, right?
Gloss Drop tracklist:
01. Africastle
02. Ice Cream (feat. Matias Aguayo)
03. Futura
04. Inchworm
05. Wall Street
06. My Machines (feat. Gary Numan)
07. Dominican Fade
08. Sweetie & Shag (feat. Kazu Makino)
09. Toddler
10. Rolls Bayce
11. White Electric
12. Sundome (feat. Yamantaka Eye)
• Battles: http://bttls.com
• Warp: http://warp.net
