When Tyondai Braxton left Battles in 2010, three years after Mirrored showed that their music could be as incredibly catchy as it was highly technical, there were concerns that a large part of the bandÂ’s playfulness and charisma had departed with him. Fortunately, Gloss Drop proves those worries were unfounded. Though Braxton’s shoes are undeniably large ones to fill, John Stanier, Ian Williams, and David Konopka strike out on their own and with some well-chosen collaborators. The tracks with guest singers are Gloss Drop’s immediate standouts. As the sometime vocalist on the bandÂ’s debut album, Braxton lent a cohesiveness to Battles’ excursions, but here the trio picks singers that reflect a particular aspect of their sound that theyÂ’ve chosen to express. Matias Aguayo turns in one of the albumÂ’s revelatory tracks, “Ice Cream,” which not only matches the playfulness of any of Mirrored’s tracks, but adds a summery physicality and sexuality that is completely new. The other is “Sweetie and Shag,” a collaboration with Blonde Redhead’s Kazu Makino that is a peak for everyone involved, with her wispy vocals adding spun-sugar sweetness and their energy giving the song blood and muscle. Both of these songs sound like pop from another planet, unfettered by conventional structures but still remarkably immediate and catchy. Which is not to say that Gary Numan’s work on “My Machines”’ high-speed drone-rock or “Sundome,” which features the Boredoms’ Yamantaka Eye singing like heÂ’s calling the sun into being, arenÂ’t as inspired — they are — but they donÂ’t have the shock of the new that Aguayo and Makino’s cameos do. Likewise, Gloss Drop’s instrumentals alternate between shoring up BattlesÂ’ proven strengths on Mirrored-esque tracks like “Africastle” and “Wall Street,” and departures such as the brief Latin-tinged foray “Dominican Fade” and “Inchworm,” which boasts playful sleigh bells and a melody so kinetic itÂ’s almost visible. On every track, Battles’ joh in playing together shines through, whether itÂ’s the minute-long snippet “Toddler” or “White Electric,” one of the albumÂ’s biggest showcases for the trioÂ’s pure instrumental prowess. In that regard, Gloss Drop may be more accomplished than the band’s debut; even if itÂ’s not quite as much of a powerhouse as Mirrored was, it shows that the trio version of Battles is lean, creative, and surprisingly adaptable. – Heather Phares