You'd need a heart of stone not to feel sorry for Kilkenny man Cormac Battle. Not only did his old band Kerbdog gradually see their big chance disappear amid a welter of record company wrangling, he himself suffered a nervous breakdown in the aftermath. Clearly a glutton for punishment, however, he's made a creditable comeback with emo outfit Wilt andshy; and on their second album they sound as if they're finally coming of age. My Medicine is a purposeful slab of gritty angst-rock, performed with a sense of conviction which suggests that the band are here for the long haul. Much of it is strikingly reminiscent of early REM, a comparison helped by Battle's adoption of a singing voice which sounds remarkably like Michael Stipe. The songs are all a little samey though, while Battle's heartfelt lyrics about mental illness and commuter madness ultimately veer towards the lightweight. Good fun, but for the moment Wilt still come across as a likeable band rather than an important one.
