The Guilty Office

The Guilty Office
Studio album by
The Bats
Released1 December 2008 (2008-12-01) (NZ)
23 June 2009 (2009-06-23) (USA)
RecordedAugust 2007 – June 2008 at The National Grid and Longfellow Studio in Christchurch, and Masonic Lodge, Port Chalmers[1]
GenreIndie rock, alternative rock, indie pop[2]
LabelArch Hill (NZ)
Hidden Agenda (USA)
The Bats chronology
At the National Grid
(2005) 		The Guilty Office
(2008) 		Free All the Monsters
(2011)
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Allmusic[2]
Blurt Magazine[3]
Mojo[4]
Pitchfork[5]
Prefix Magazine[6]
PopMatters[7]
Uncut[8]

The Guilty Office is the seventh studio album by New Zealand indie band, The Bats, released in New Zealand on 1 December 2008, and in the United States on 23 June 2009.[1][2]

Recording and New Zealand release

Recording of The Guilty Office began on 25–26 August 2007 in the newly built National Grid Studio in Heathcote Valley, Christchurch. The band had a few songs prepared from a demo session earlier in 2007, as well as some new songs written by Robert Scott. Scott has said that the recording process was "...pretty much the same as the others. I had a big bunch of songs and the rest of the band chose the ones they liked and we got them into shape and put them down live in the studio."[9] The tracks "Guilty Office" and "Two Lines" grew out of improvised jams. The rhythm tracks for the album were recorded by John Kelcher. Additional tracks and mixing and mastering were recorded by Paul Keen at Longfellow Studio, while the strings, harp and accordion parts were recorded by Mike McLeod at the Masonic Lodge in Port Chalmers.[1]

The album was released in New Zealand by Arch Hill on 1 December 2008. The cover art is by band member Robert Scott.[1]

The video for "Castle Lights" was filmed in London by Hector Hazard,[10] whereas the first video, for "Like Water in Your Hand", was simply shots of light reflecting off water ripples.[11]

International releases

The album was released internationally by the following labels:

  • Australia – Mistletone[12]
  • Sweden – Kning Disk (limited edition of 450 numbered copies)[13]
  • United Kingdom and Europe – Yesboyicream[14]
  • United States – Hidden Agenda (23 June 2009)[15]

Track listing

All tracks are written by The Bats/Robert Scott

No.TitleLength
1."Countersign"4:19
2."Crimson Enemy"2:52
3."Broken Path"4:37
4."Like Water in Your Hands"1:39
5."Castle Lights"3:45
6."Two Lines"3:37
7."Satellites"4:30
8."Later on That Night"3:44
9."Steppin' Out"2:16
10."The I Specialist"3:24
11."The Guilty Office"5:01
12."The Orchard"3:56

References

  1. ^ a b c d "The Bats Official Site". The Bats. Retrieved 7 December 2011.
  2. ^ a b c "The Guilty Office" on All Music Guide. Retrieved on 7 December 2011
  3. ^ Shanley, Mike (2009). "The Bats – The Guilty Office". Blurt Magazine.
  4. ^ Cameron, Keith (2009). "The Bats – Guilty Office Review". Mojo.
  5. ^ Granzin, Amy. "The Bats – Guilty Office Review". Pitchfork. Retrieved 7 December 2011.
  6. ^ Allen, Jim (7 July 2009). "Album Review: The Bats – The Guilty Office". Prefix Magazine. Retrieved 7 December 2011.
  7. ^ Fiander, Matthew (10 July 2009). "The Bats: The Guilty Office". PopMatters. Retrieved 7 December 2011.
  8. ^ Troussé, Stephen (2009). "The Bats – Guilty Office". Uncut.
  9. ^ Gnanalingam, Brannavan (9 January 2009). "Lumière – Robert Scott on The Bats". Lumière Industries. Archived from the original on 18 May 2012. Retrieved 7 December 2011.
  10. ^ Pocket Music (30 September 2009). "The BATS – Castle Lights from The Guilty Office album". Retrieved 7 December 2011 – via YouTube.
  11. ^ Pocket Music (4 January 2009). "Like Water by The Bats". Retrieved 7 December 2011 – via YouTube.
  12. ^ "The Bats". Mistletone. Retrieved 7 December 2011.
  13. ^ "Kning Disk The Bats – The Guilty Office". Kning Disk. Retrieved 7 December 2011.
  14. ^ "Yesboyicecream The Guilty Office". Yesboyicecream. Retrieved 7 December 2011.
  15. ^ "The Bats – The Guilty Office – A Hidden Agenda Record". Parasol Records. Archived from the original on 9 December 2011. Retrieved 7 December 2011.