As good a song as "Atlas" was (and still is; remind yourself), I have to admit that my love for Battles -- and love it certainly is -- has been somewhat qualified. "Mirrored", it is perhaps unfair but (for me) honest to say, suffered from not being "Atlas" x 10. Then, with "Gloss Drop", they were finding their feet as a trio, and the guest vocalist thing didn't quite allow for a solid end-to-end listen. (Props for putting Gary Numan to good use, though.)
Now they return with "La Di Da Di", and, by Jove, this time I think they've done it. This album is rock solid. No one track particularly stands out, and it may be a little on the long side, but with playing this good, and ideas this inventive, it's not that hard for the listener to stay focused. And it all works.
Plus, John Stanier must be the most efficient yet effective hitter of things since John Bonham and John McEntire. (Hey, look, it's the Three Johns.)
I'm throwing you the opening number, not least because at one point it adopts a fairly convincing reggae gait. (And partly because of the existence of this clip, of a live-in-the-studio version, which gives you a good idea of what they are on about; and with this kind of somewhat (let's be honest) academic rock music it can help to be watching what's going on.)
