Juice B Crypts - Battles: Review
are a New York math rock and electronic rock band who got off to a great start with their first two records Mirrored and Gloss Drop being incredibly interesting, technical and unique pieces that captivated fans and critics alike. They released the very poorly received and incredibly maligned La Di Da Di in 2015 and since then have dropped from a trio to a duo for the release of Juice B Crypts.
Review By Lavender:
There was a point in time where I quite enjoyed the music of Battles, the debut record Mirrored was a wild experience that I enjoy to this day and the entire era of their second record Gloss Drop including the two EP's released surrounding it. But part of the disappointment of 2015's La Di Da Di also led to severely lowered expectations for me and many other fans, and it seems like the band has lowered their own expectations of themselves as well.
I skipped detailed listening and analysis of the singles from this record due to just being very busy around the times they were released which should say something about my expectations going into the record, but ultimately I made the right decision as the tracks were inconsistent, and don't really paint of picture of this record anyway. The first single Titanium 2 Step is actually a decent track that I enjoyed with some explosive performances and a creative vocal feature. The second single was a pair of tracks that prove just how far wrong this record can go. The first one A Loop So Nice is so much more of Battles style, I like the hypnotic driving of the loop and I feel like it fits so much more into the style of what the band is good at. The second part They Played It Twice proves that they can also ruin is with some terrible vocals that completely blow out the beginning of the song and pop in to interrupt whenever it is making any tangible momentum. The final single Fort Green Park is definitely the worst of the singles and may be the worst track on the album, I have no idea what is supposed to be appealing about the organization of the constantly shrill sounds wrapped around some uncharacteristically simple two tone drum beats, I do not like this song.
Only really one song on the record that we haven't talked bout yet I really enjoyed was Sugar Foot, a pretty explosive track with another good vocal sample that may go on for a little longer than it should but ultimately it is one of the better moments here. Another few tracks have features that help drag an otherwise skippable song into the realm of tolerable. IZM has a beat that is a little bit too loud and frontal given that this is basically a rap song, the track is too busy during the verses and far too simple on the hook but I can't deny enjoying Shabazz Palaces feature regardless. Finally the record ends off with Last Supper On Shasta a two part tune that features vocals from Merrill Garbus of Tune-Yards and while I like the first part more than the second part both are what I would consider bright spots for the record right at the end.
Finally a pair of tracks I didn't enjoy at all, the opener Ambulance and the title track Juice B Crypts neither of them do anything special in their core grooves and have bells and whistles so robotic that I could call them flat out annoying. These songs are mostly symptomatic of most of this record where the live is gone from the tight grooves and dense mixes that made Battles so unique less than a decade ago. After two disappointing records I'm not sure how much longer I will stick around with the band , as its been a long time since the itch that indie fans have for Battles music has been truly scratched. 4/10
