SINGLE REVIEW: Battle - "Children"

First published: 2006-06-06

Finally! All finished at college for the summer, so I've just got around to writing my first proper review since April, for Gigwise.com.

A clean arpeggio, a couple of lines of plaintive vocal, then the drums come in…so far, so indie-schmindie. But this isn’t just melancholia of the weepy Radio 2 variety. It’s the type that at first appears to be a Snow Patrol blandfest, but within thirty seconds reveals itself as a distillation of American college-rock circa Daydream Nation, watered down into a three-minute pop song and sanitised for the masses. It’d be cruel to call them Sonic Youth Juniors. But what better term for Mondeo Man’s new favourite "alternative" band?