Battant : 'No Head'
Released: 25th May 2009
Label: Kill The DJ
No Head is the debut LP from East London three-piece Battant and what a debut it is, is certainly a debut.
The band are signed to French label Kill The DJ Records and have been on the road, delivering striking performances at some of the continents more eclectic festivals. They’ve also given solid support to such ample giants as Primal Scream.
This album is not pop guitar techno in the vein of Gossip or the dire La Roux. No, this is the other end of the spectrum, primitive and minimal to the point of insanity, No Head will have your swimming by the end of ‘Bruise’.
‘Yokohama RC’ slingshots a galloping bass line through your cranium, ‘Butcher’ hardly exists but is worth it. Chloe’s voice holds together sparse instruments and shows how little you really need to create a song worth listening to.
Chloe’s vocals are truly the glue that holds this primitive techno together. Her jagged yet succulent Siouxsie vocal shapes make you work to appreciate every subtle nuance in every barbed melody she releases.
‘Radio Rod’ and ‘Human Rug’ show off the two faces of Battant. The former is the instantly enjoyable, fun side. The latter is the psychotic demon feeding side that sounds like it might actually kill you if you turn it on let alone up. Turn it up though, if nothing else it’ll make your ears bleed.
Sadly parts of No Head do miss-fire, sounding like they’ve had barely any thought actually directed their way. Both ‘Mark Twain’ and ‘Highway Hopeful’ gives you the illusion of being worryingly outside the box whilst playing it deliriously safe. A mild hiccup though in an otherwise startlingly Spartan and hair-raising album.
If you like your techno more Suicide than Hot Chip then Battant will fill you with glee. They take electronic music to its minimal state, inject a ragged electric guitar and like a sonic siren, seduce you with disarming beauty whilst head-fucking you to your death.
Words: Ollie Cornish
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