The Law of Things
| The Law of Things | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 1990 | |||
| Recorded | Sept–Oct 1988 | |||
| Genres | Dunedin sound, alternative rock | |||
| Length | 38:56 | |||
| Label | Flying Nun[1] | |||
| Producers | The Bats, Brent McLachlan | |||
| The Bats chronology | ||||
| ||||
The Law of Things is the second album by the New Zealand band the Bats, released in 1990.[2][3] It was released by Mammoth Records in the United States.[4]
The track "Smoking Her Wings" was released as a single, and the album peaked at No. 38 in the New Zealand charts.[5][6]
Production
[edit]The album was recorded at Writhe Recording in Wellington, New Zealand, toward the end of 1988.[7] It was produced by Brent McLachlan and the band.[8]
Critical reception
[edit]| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [9] |
| The Encyclopedia of Popular Music | [10] |
| MusicHound Rock: The Essential Album Guide |  [8] |
| Spin Alternative Record Guide | 6/10[4] |
Trouser Press called the album "monumental," writing: "Capturing all the hooky appeal and personal charm of their first records, it updates the recipe with seven years of instrumental mastery and superior sonics."[11] The New York Times wrote that "the production is raw; the song structures are almost self-consciously unsophisticated - just jaunty guitar riffs, roughshod 4/4 rhythms and, in the more aggressive tracks, base lines that rumble and swell and even drown out the other instruments."[12]
Track listing
[edit]All tracks are written by the Bats/Robert Scott.
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Other Side of You" | 3:10 |
| 2. | "Law of Things" | 2:13 |
| 3. | "Never Said Goodbye" | 2:33 |
| 4. | "Yawn Vibes" | 3:40 |
| 5. | "Time to Get Ready" | 4:16 |
| 6. | "Ten to One" | 2:38 |
| 7. | "Mastery" | 3:00 |
| 8. | "I Fall Away" | 2:27 |
| 9. | "Cliff Edge" | 3:05 |
| 10. | "Nine Days" | 3:43 |
| 11. | "Bedlam" | 3:28 |
| 12. | "Smoking Her Wings" | 4:37 |
Personnel
[edit]- Malcolm Grant – drums
- Paul Kean – bass
- Robert Scott – guitar, lead vocals
- Kaye Woodward – guitar, vocals
Also credited:
- Alastair Galbraith – violin (tracks: 1, 4 to 8, 12)
- Brent McLachlan – engineer, co-producer
References
[edit]- ↑ "The Bats The Law of Things (2014)". Flying Nun.
- ↑ "The Bats Biography & History". AllMusic.
- ↑ Kot, Greg (11 December 1992). "Bats Are Flying High in U.S." Chicago Tribune.
- 1 2 Spin Alternative Record Guide. Vintage Books. 1995. p. 31.
- ↑ "The Bats". The Bats.
- ↑ "New Zealand Charts Portal". New Zealand Charts.
- ↑ "The Bats". AudioCulture.
- 1 2 MusicHound Rock: The Essential Album Guide. Visible Ink Press. 1999. p. 81.
- ↑ "The Law of Things The Bats". AllMusic.
- ↑ Larkin, Colin (2006). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music. Vol. 1. MUZE. p. 465.
- ↑ "Bats". Trouser Press. Retrieved 3 March 2021.
- ↑ Schoemer, Karen (17 August 1990). "Sounds Around Town". The New York Times.
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