The Bats
The Guilty Office
Rating: 2.5 /5.0
Label: Hidden Agenda Records
I get frustrated when a record isn’t making an impression on me, especially one as well crafted as The Guilty Office. The Bats themselves still have great chemistry with one another, retaining virtually all of their well-tested group harmony. I smile and nod along to their throwback orchestral pop that has inspired many musicians who’ve looked for ways to completely grasp its potential for romance within the confines of low velocity rock music. But their punches aren’t sticking, no matter how pleasant and even considerate each song feels. It’s like complimentary room service at 3:00 AM: a nice gesture, but I doubt I’ll remember the good intentions through the sleepy circumstances.
Before we go any further, it’s important to point out that this isn’t the same lithely energetic band that produced the spazzy 1980s classic Daddy’s Highway or even the loud and sweet indie guitar twee in the 1990s with Couchmaster. While the group hasn’t witnessed one defection in their lineup since forming in 1982, their choices in instrumentation have always been adapted to fit the contours of the current wave in song craft. In 2009, that adds up to a slower and more acoustically-driven sound. Less percussion and bass are relied upon, with arrangements that center towards the vocals of Robert Scott and Kaye Woodward as well as a heaping dose of lush violins.
This stripped down sound isn’t a back to basics approach, since this record is pretty far from the compelling energy of where The Bats started. It doesn’t gel with their songwriting, which hasn’t really expanded or contracted during the band’s lifetime. The Bats have never been extraordinary wordsmiths, but they could always find a new way to make blithely warm lyrics really seep in. Nothing extraordinary was ever really required, just an extra step or two, be it a distorted guitar line or a shaky rhythmic pattern, something to loosen up some of the stodgier lyrics and help the really good ones catch a break. “Later on that Night” and “Crimson Enemy” just sort of dip and rise like the narrow thrills of a children’s rollercoaster and most of the album follows suit. Scott and Woodward are still top flight singers, but are relied on too much to do all of the work in tying each song together to a coherent whole.
Still, I can’t say that The Guilty Office isn’t a good time. Melodically, everything falls into place on “Castle Lights,” which shows the potential for growth within the band’s folkie leanings. “Steppin Out” probably edges out every other song by summoning up a dreamy Parisian nightscape going by at the speed of a well-mannered Vespa. Even the predictable pace of “Satellites’ has an intrinsic beauty to its chorus that refuses to be ignored. That kind of talent really makes The Bats too shimmering to be channeling the early 1960′s suit and skinny tie bubble gum era while executing each song. They’ve proven to be consistently more interesting than that. Besides, I have a hard enough time telling those bands apart from one another; there’s no need for a genuinely good one to enter the same fold.
by Neal Fersko
