Battle – ‘Children’ (Transgressive) Released 05/06/06

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?