Blur: 1 Hidden Gem On Every Album
4. 13 - Battle
With its otherworldly bleeps and twinkles, 13’s epic centrepiece Battle sounds like something beamed to Earth from a space station, a battle station if you will.
13 features two beautiful, lyrically direct hit singles inspired by Damon’s breakup with Justin Frischmann; Tender and No Distance Left To Run.
One of the album’s more experimental tracks, Battle seems to take its inspiration from the same emotional place but the lyrics get deliberately obtuse and the band swap out pop hooks for buzzsaw guitar and Dave Rowntree’s blistering drumming.
With his falsetto croon of “Battle, battle, battle, battle, battle someone, battle someone, oooh”, Albarn sounds like a world(or universe) weary alien, looking down sadly at the death throes of his own failing relationship.
while not as obvious as some of the other tracks on the album, at nearly eight minutes long Battle really allows you to immerse yourself in its atmosphere. Give it a few listens and you’ll find Battle still hits you right in the feels.