The Guilty Office

Bats | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (June 23, 2009)
• Original Release Date: 2009
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Hidden Agenda
• ASIN: B0029LJAFO
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #97,477 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Review

It's hard to go wrong with the Bats. For more than two decades, this New Zealand foursome have been a stunning model of consistency, with their albums serving as prime examples of that much-loved kiwi pop jangle. And The Guilty Office is no exception... Just the Bats sounding as great as ever. --Exclaim Magazine

Defiantly lo-fi romanticism...the strum & twang now augmented w/ strings. --Uncut Magazine (UK)

Byrdsian chimes and the freewheeling grooves of the VU's Loaded. --Mojo Magazine (UK)

Product Description

7th studio album from New Zealand Jangle-Pop Overlords & Overlady, The Bats, led by Robert Scott from The Clean and members of Minisnap. Expect fragile but determined vocals, ringing guitars and chunky rhythms that seem quintessentially 'New Zealand Indie'; remote, cool, spacious, unusual but strangely familiar. Melancholy and joyous in turns, The Bats have a unique sound that has captured the imagination of multitudes.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Another Gem From The Bats, December 21, 2009

By 

Mike S. (Long Island) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Guilty Office (Audio CD)

Whenever a new Bats album comes around, I'm initially hesitant to listen to it as I'm afraid that it won't be as great as Daddy's Highway from 20+ years ago was/is, but I should know better and realize that Robert Scott and company won't disappoint. The Guilty Office (a strange name if I say so myself, but also the title of a beautiful, haunting song near the end of the album) is no exception as The Bats deliver another winner. As always, in my opinion, the first few songs are the strongest, but even as deep as track #8 (Later On That Night, which is a doppelganger to Luna's song Lovedust), the title song and the last song, The Orchard, the songs are still strong. The interplay between Robert Scott's and Kaye Woodward's vocals & guitars are still great. The rhythm section of Paul Kean & Malcolm Grant is as solid as ever. Whenever I try to describe The Bats to folks here in the U.S. who inexplicably still haven't heard of them after 3 decades of making great music, I draw a blank as The Bats sound like ... The Bats. If I had to compare them to others, I'd guess I'd say that they sound like Fleetwood Mac (with deeper vocals) mixed in with touches of Neil Young and Yo La Tengo with some strings added. Which is a mighty great combo.

If you're an old Bats fan, this won't disappoint. If you're new to The Bats, this is as good a place as any to start. Maybe if enough folks get the new CD we can get a rare U.S. tour from The Bats as I think it's been almost 4 years since their last visit, with the one before that more than 10 years earlier!!

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars 10/10 - This is wonderful!, September 6, 2009

By 

DirkL (Sydney, NSW Australia) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Guilty Office (Audio CD)

Oh yes, what a lovely little album. Thanks for this one, Robert Scott, Kaye Woodward and co. I've been enjoying The Bats since 87's "Daddy's Highway" and am so pleased to have the pleasure of another long-player to enjoy. Not only is this a rare treat (7 full length cds over 22 years isn't a huge output) but also a truly refined one. It's the best album the Bats have made and captures all that's good about them, producing a wonderful distillation of their trademark sound into a humble, expansively heady mix of warm, giddy tunes. Nobody sounds quite like the Bats. Long may they jangle on!

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Guilty of a masterpiece!, June 23, 2009

By 

Seahue - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Guilty Office (MP3 Download)

I am a big fan of The Bats and I must say they have outdone themselves with 'The Guilty Office'. A real treat from start to finish! The production is amazing! Beautiful! Deep and introspective lyrics infused with their tradmark jangly guitar that is sure to bring a smile to ones heart.There is also some new sounds, including the beautiful harmonious singing from Kaye Woodward, that really help set each song apart. I also liked how the bass stood out on some tracks, namely 'The Guilty Office'...
If anything The Bats are 'guilty' of creating a masterpiece! The Bats in top form!