Bats / Don’t You Rise

Slumberland

The Bats are legends of New Zealand music, standing tall alongside contemporaries The Clean and The Chills as linchpins of the Flying Nun label and the Dunedin / Christchurch scene. Over the course of 25 years, seven albums, and four world tours, the original line-up of Robert Scott, Malcolm Grant, Paul Kean, and Kaye Woodward remains intact and still creates vital, pastoral pop gems. Combining Scott's mantric-like guitar pick and strum, bouncing bass with a twist from Kean, melodic hooks from Woodward on guitar, and Grant's snappy beats, the combination of musical ingredients works perfectly--effortlessly. The band's reputation is sterling; based on legendary albums like Daddy's Highway and Silverbeet and their energetic live shows, The Bats have an enthusiastic worldwide fanbase who treasure the band's continued excellence. Don't You Rise gathers up four tunes from 1998 and 2003, helping to complete the discographical picture leading up to their most recent album, The Guilty Office. With the electric violin of Alastair Galbraith (who last featured on The Bats' Law of Things), "That's How You'll Find Me" has a mesmerizing folk-pop groove and would fit in perfectly on any classic Bats album. "You Don't Belong" is a moody gem, while the country-inflected strum of "Don't You Rise" is a live favorite. "Face Inside the Sun" rounds out the record in fine form, a mid-tempo sing-along that sounds straight off Daddy's Highway. A pretty special EP then, and ample evidence that 25 years after forming, The Bats own their legendary status.

• SHARE

  •  Twitter
  •  Stumbleupon
  •  Digg
  •  del.icio.us
  •  Facebook
  •  Mixx