#22 on the 2019 Bacon Top 31 — Battles

Juice B Crypts by Battles

And then there were two. When Battles, the New York City based experimental rock band, released their superb album Mirrored back in 2007, the four-piece thoroughly impressed. I remember seeing them at Bumbershoot that summer, and watching drummer John Stanier hit that extra-high cymbal on his kit at just the right moment was the most memorable act that weekend.

In 2010, while extensively touring on the power of their debut album, the only “singer” in the group (I use that term lightly), Tyondai Braxton, left the group due to irreconcilable differences with his bandmates. The then-trio released their 2011 album, Glass Drop (#21 that year), featuring a large number of guest vocalists. It was a good album, but not as great as the first. The trio released a 2nd, this time vocals-less album in 2015 called _La Di Da Di, and all the better for it (#16 that year).

Then, in 2018, Dave Konopka (guitar / bass), left the band “for personal reasons.” Rather than throwing in the towel, drummer Stanier and multi-instrumentalist Ian Williams decided to soldier on, to great effect. This new album, Juice B Crypts, is as lush and erratic as their previous albums, and they’ve gone back to the Gloss Drop mode of bringing in guest singers, such as Shabazz Palaces, tUnE-yArDs, and Jon Anderson from Yes (!). Despite being at 50% power, the duo manages to create 11 exciting songs (some of which are really just one song broken in two, such as the cleverly named track #2 titled “A Loop So Nice…” followed by #3 “They Played it Twice.”)

If you like Battles, you’ll like this. If you’re unfamiliar with Battles, don’t start here — go through this progression: Mirrored, La Di Da Di, and then Juice B Crypts. Trust me.

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23. Pony by Orville Peck
24. Hyperspace by Beck
25. Eraserland by Strand of Oaks
26. Dogrel by Fontaines DC
27. You’re the Man by Marvin Gaye
28. Big Wows by Stealing Sheep
29. 1000 gecs by 100 gecs
30. In the Morse Code of Brake Lights by The New Pornographers
31. Radiant Dawn by Operators

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#16 on the 2015 Bacon Top 31

La Di Da Di by Battles

We’re at the heart of the Top 31 now. #16 on the countdown, on the 16th day of the month, the epicenter. Battles is as good a band as any to represent the mid-point of this year’s list. They’re probably one of the more difficult bands to get into on the list, but once you get past that barrier of entry, there’s plenty to like about them.

This is the second time this New York based experimental, prog- and/or math-rock band has appeared on the countdown. Their 2011 album Gloss Drop was #21 that year. For that album, they were struggling with the departure of the one person in the group that provided vocals on a few songs (check out their excellent debut, Mirrored, to hear what Tyondai Braxton sounds like in the band). They successfully replaced him with guest vocals from Gary Numan, among others. For their new album, La Di Da Di, they went minimalist. There are no vocals on this album, and it’s better for it.

Electronic noises of all kinds, backed by John Stanier’s amazing drumming, and you’ve got a unique sound unmatched by any other act out there today. Listen to the song featured in the rather boring video above, “The Yabba.” If you like what you hear, you’ll enjoy the rest of the album. I recommend putting it on in the background and giving it a few listens before moving on (if you must). I bet it’ll seep in enough to stick around longer than you expect.

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17. Sky City by Amason
18. What a Terrible World, What a Beautiful World by The Decemberists
19. Untethered Moon by Built to Spill
20. Viet Cong by Viet Cong
21. The Magic Whip by Blur
22. Savage Hills Ballroom by Youth Lagoon
23. Not Real by Stealing Sheep
24. Beat the Champ by The Mountain Goats
25. Gliss Riffer by Dan Deacon
26. Dark Bird is Home by The Tallest Man on Earth
27. Gunnera by Pfarmers
28. Swimmer to a Liquid Armchair by Ricked Wickey
29. To Pimp a Butterfly by Kendrick Lamar
30. Live in Seattle by Moufang / Czamanski
31. High by Royal Headache

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