Popcorn Noises

Battles - “Ice Cream (feat. Matias Aguayo)”

At their best, Battles sound like a happy kid with a new set of Legos. The finished product—in this case, a scratchy, lank-limbed groove that boogies like the world’s pinkest sugar high—is cool and fun, but the real delight is in building the thing, in sorting out the right pieces and savoring the uniquely tactile pleasure of snapping them together in geometric perfection. That’s why the vamp at the beginning of “Ice Cream” (and indeed, every vamp and breakdown in any Battles song) is absolutely crucial. In order to feel the energy of the track, we have to hear Ian Williams put the pieces together by trading off ever-quickening jabs of muddled guitar and keys, egging himself on until, to our delight, they lock into that joyous loop and the gut-punching John Stainer beat we know is coming finally drops. And although there’s no replacing Tyondai Braxton, Matais Aguayo takes a damn solid crack at it. On “Ice Cream” he proves to be the final piece of the puzzle, bringing his rubbery chill-dude voice to bear on Battles’ mechanical precision and loosening it up in the process. The result is one of 2011’s jammingest songs.