Juice B Crypts

Three albums since the departure of Tyondai Braxton and with fellow cofounder Dave Konopka no longer in the picture, drummer John Stanier and multi-instrumentalist Ian Williams press ahead with the band’s righteous avant-rock mission, which they began together on a pair of 2004 EPs. The surviving duo sounds anything but diminished on the exploratory and experimental Juice B Crypts. Having intended to reclaim a quirky New York authenticity by both writing and recording in their hometown for the first time in the project’s history, Battles compile a set of tunes here as unpredictable as any downtown DIY club or late-night subway journey, occasionally with local vocalists in tow. No Wave notable Sal Principato of the underrated funk punks Liquid Liquid embraces the alien boogie of “Titanium 2 Step,” while Xenia Rubinos sings her art out on “They Played It Twice.” Out-of-town guests like leftfield hip-hop act Shabazz Palaces and prog pioneer Jon Anderson also help keep the adventurous project’s manic energy from veering the vessel too far off its course.