Battles - La Di Da Di

So before you ask then answer is ‘yes’ – this record is built on looping. It’s a Battles record. What else can you expect? Nothing has changed and the trio of Ian Williams, Dave Konopka and John Stanier continue to reach for the still uncertain point in music that divides the organic and the digital as arguably the highest profile band currently doing so. La Di Da Di has a story to tell and questions to ask, and once opening track The Yabba has shuddered to life it emphatically sets the scene for everything that follows. Battles shun the use of vocal, instead adding depth and playfulness to their songs with an endless kaleidoscope of electronic refrains which is, thankfully, anchored down by Stanier’s immaculate percussion section. It’s enough to keep the soul of this album feeling human in the face of often astonishing but mind-baffling guitar/synth interplay. The mood swings violently from joy to paranoia and at every moment you’re reminded that for better or worse this is ‘serious’ music, despite the curious title. Dim the lights, close your eyes. You could just find something great here.