With a shimmer of delicate notes tingling through the introduction, Battles launch into the relentless and possessive track Tonto. Following on from their critically acclaimed release Atlas, Tonto has no easy task of rivalling its predecessor’s success. Although lacking the brilliantly ambiguous lyrics of Atlas, Tonto tumbles through its melody, snagging itself on idiosyncratic sounds until Tyondai Braxton’s hollers lead us to the song’s superb climax. Finally the jingle of bells leads its sedated bass lumbering towards a shrill pitched conclusion.

Remixes include one by The Field whose only triumph seems to be in forcing you to endure seven minutes of what sounds like an old printer noisily chewing its way through fragments of the song. Another by Four Tet remains more loyal to the original song and it’s all the better for it giving us a bass-soaked Tonto worthy of the dancefloor.

Also included are two live performances, one of Tonto, the other of Leyendecker, which allows Battles to smugly display how amazing they really are. Lastly the Hip-Hop inoculated remix of Leyendecker will leave you shamelessly chanting ‘I live in the hood’ over the seditious bass and vocals of Joell Ortiz.

Shauna O'Brien
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