The Law of Things

1990 studio album by The Bats

The Law of Things

Studio album by

The Bats

Released| 1990
Recorded| Sept–Oct 1988
Genre| Dunedin sound, indie pop, alternative rock
Length| 38:56
Label| Flying Nun Records[1]
Producer| The Bats, Brent McLachlan
The Bats chronology
| 4 Songs
(1988)  | The Law of Things
(1990)  | Fear of God
(1991)

|
|

Professional ratingsReview scores

Source| Rating
AllMusic| [2]
The Encyclopedia of Popular Music| [3]
MusicHound Rock: The Essential Album Guide| [4]
Spin Alternative Record Guide| 6/10[5]

The Law of Things is the second album by the New Zealand band The Bats, released in 1990.[6][7] It was released by Mammoth Records in the United States.[5]

The track "Smoking Her Wings" was released as a single, and the album peaked at #38 in the New Zealand charts.[8][9]

## Production

[edit]

The album was recorded at Writhe Recording in Wellington, New Zealand, toward the end of 1988.[10] It was produced by Brent McLachlan and the band.[4]

## Critical reception

[edit]

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]

1. ^ "The Bats - The Law Of Things (2014)". Flying Nun.
2. ^ "The Law of Things - The Bats | Songs, Reviews, Credits | AllMusic" - via www.allmusic.com.
3. ^ Larkin, Colin (2006). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music. Vol. 1\. MUZE. p. 465.
4. ^ a b MusicHound Rock: The Essential Album Guide. Visible Ink Press. 1999. p. 81.
5. ^ a b Spin Alternative Record Guide. Vintage Books. 1995. p. 31.
6. ^ "The Bats | Biography & History". AllMusic.
7. ^ Kot, Greg (11 December 1992). "BATS ARE FLYING HIGH IN U.S." chicagotribune.com.
8. ^ "The Bats". The Bats.
9. ^ "charts.org.nz - New Zealand charts portal". charts.nz.
10. ^ "The Bats - AudioCulture". www.audioculture.co.nz.
11. ^ "Bats". Trouser Press. Retrieved 3 March 2021.
12. ^ Schoemer, Karen (17 August 1990). "Sounds Around Town (Published 1990)". The New York Times - via NYTimes.com.

* v
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The Bats

* Paul Kean
* Malcolm Grant
* Robert Scott
* Kaye Woodward

Studio albums|

* Daddy's Highway
* The Law of Things
* Fear of God
* Silverbeet
* Couchmaster
* At the National Grid
* The Guilty Office
* Free All the Monsters
* The Deep Set
* Foothills

EPs|

* By Night
* And Here Is 'Music for the Fireside'
* Made Up in Blue
* 4 Songs
* Courage
* Spill the Beans
* Afternoon in Bed
* Don't You Rise

Compilations|

* Thousands of Tiny Luminous Spheres

Related articles|

* The Clean
* Dunedin Sound
* Flying Nun Records

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