The Law of Things

The Law of Things
Studio album by
The Bats
Released1990
RecordedSept–Oct 1988
GenreDunedin sound, indie pop, alternative rock
Length38:56
LabelFlying Nun Records[1]
ProducerThe Bats, Brent McLachlan
The Bats chronology
4 Songs
(1988) 		The Law of Things
(1990) 		Fear of God
(1991)
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[2]
The Encyclopedia of Popular Music[3]
MusicHound Rock: The Essential Album Guide[4]
Spin Alternative Record Guide6/10[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

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

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

All tracks are written by The Bats/Robert Scott

No.TitleLength
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

Also credited:

  • Alastair Galbraith - violin (tracks: 1, 4 to 8, 12)
  • Brent McLachlan - engineer, co-producer

References

  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.


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