Albums to watch

La Di Da Di

Battles

La Di Da Di

Third album from the Rhode Island experimental math rock trio

ADM rating[?]

6.8

Label
Warp
UK Release date
18/09/2015
US Release date
18/09/2015
  1. 8.3 |   Paste Magazine

    However you decipher the 1s and 0s, the songs comprising La Di Da Di are timeless vestiges of sound
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  2. 8.0 |   The Quietus

    La Di Da Di sees Battles evolve into a beast wracked and contorted with instrumental sinew, straining at the confines they've given themselves
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  3. 8.0 |   Mojo

    The best album to date, the one you always hoped they would make. Print edition only

  4. 8.0 |   Uncut

    An engaging piece of maximalist minimalism: Steve Reich with a battering ram. Print edition only

  5. 8.0 |   DIY

    Without any voices swimming around the noise, the record does lack the variety that came before. Instead, this is a stubborn embracing of all the weird things that make up this unique trio
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  6. 8.0 |   All Music

    As Battles evolve, they remain true to their unique mix of brains and brawn, and La Di Da Di just might be their most engaging music yet
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  7. 8.0 |   The Irish Times

    Their sound has evolved into something even more interesting than their first two records. As they have said themselves, it’s “next level”
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  8. 8.0 |   musicOMH

    You’ll enjoy individual slices, but won’t be truly fulfilled unless you take a deep dive straight in and luxuriate in all its sonic weirdness and insane brilliance
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  9. 7.5 |   Pitchfork

    At 50 minutes, it's maybe a bit too long: when you're working with coiled energy, you can't afford to lose momentum. That said, when they're in the zone, there's not much like it
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  10. 7.5 |   Beardfood

    Spot the math rock, then spot the stadium bait. Highly enjoyable
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  11. 7.0 |   Drowned In Sound

    The album is at its best when it gives prominence to the rhythm section
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  12. 7.0 |   Spin

    Few math-rock progeny are this listenable for record length
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  13. 7.0 |   Tiny Mix Tapes

    There is a significance inherent to Battle’s increasingly flagrant disregard for conventional wisdom on what it is to be red-blooded people in a red-blooded rock band
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  14. 7.0 |   Loud And Quiet

    For all the technical flashes and hard-wired complexity on show, it’s that stubborn inconsistency that denies ‘La Di Da Di’ its knockout blow
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  15. 7.0 |   Slant Magazine

    They make music that explores the boundaries of what humans can do with the aid of technology. In this case, computers don't erode human idiosyncrasy, they amplify it
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  16. 7.0 |   PopMatters

    Battles have figured out exactly what they want to do as a trio, making La Di Da Di feel more focused than their last album
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  17. 6.7 |   Consequence Of Sound

    Rather than chase after past successes, Battles use La Di Da Di to begin something new. Williams, Konopka, and Stanier no longer even sound cognizant of Braxton’s absence
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  18. 6.5 |   Earbuddy

    This Battles is a natural progression for the band
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  19. 6.0 |   Spectrum Culture

    Like the best art, this record may not be for everyone, but the band mostly fulfills its promise to at least make repetition interesting
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  20. 6.0 |   NOW

    The album would feel more complete if they’d included at least one nod to the warped pop music that made them famous
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  21. 6.0 |   NME

    They may be trickier playmates than before, but Battles’ game is far from over
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  22. 6.0 |   Under The Radar

    It is made up almost entirely of that jammy rock weirdness and it excises all semblance of pop, and it's probably the closest we've ever come to understanding the way Battles works
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  23. 6.0 |   The Skinny

    All that’s missing, bluntly put, is another band member
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  24. 6.0 |   The 405

    La Di Da Di's shortcomings are more visible than they would have been otherwise, exposing Battles as almost entirely uninterested in ceding to spontaneity
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  25. 6.0 |   The Music

    From start to finish, La Di Da Di is packed with the pulsing, dynamic rhythms you'd expect, is flawlessly executed and depressingly familiar
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  26. 6.0 |   Q

    Perhaps not a career peak but it's not too far away. Print edition only

  27. 6.0 |   The Observer

    These 12 tracks remain powered by playfulness, rather than the desire to overcomplicate and exclude that often accompanies non-linear music
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  28. 5.8 |   Resident Advisor

    It's something more functional, familiar and safe
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  29. 5.5 |   The Line Of Best Fit

    Limits the potential for “free-thinking” with a series of stagnant, self-conscious ideas and motifs
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  30. 5.0 |   Clash

    Like the Tin Man from The Wizard of Oz, 'La Di Da Di' too often feels like a soulless automaton tearing around on autopilot. If only it had a heart
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  31. 5.0 |   No Ripcord

    La Di Da Di is full of very cool timbres and some incredible drumming, but its arrangements leave a lot to be desired
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