By Henry Lipput
When a band has been around for a certain period of time, it's hard to say in a review that their music sounds like another group; they have their own sound.
That's certainly the case with The Bats from New Zealand. With the same line-up since their debut on New Year's Eve in 1982, Robert Scott, Kaye Woodward, Paul Kean, and Malcolm Grant have released eight albums. The wondrous and melody-rich The Deep Set is their ninth and the first in five years.
But what I can do is mention how they might have been influenced by, as well as influenced, their contemporaries. In the case of The Bats, there were -- and in some cases still are -- bands in New Zealand, Australia, and the UK that came up at about the same time in the 1980s: The Chills, The Go-Betweens, and Teenage Fanclub. And you can still hear it in the music of The Bats (and in recent releases from The Chills and Teenage Fanclub).
For one, there's that jangly, chiming guitar sound from Down Under bands, something that Robert Forster of The Go-Betweens described as "that striped sunlight sound." The Deep Set has that sound on many of the songs; but, like Teenage Fanclub's most recent album, there's also a sense of melancholy and maturity.
The first track, "Rooftops," has the best of both of these worlds. Over a driving beat and a dark, moody lead guitar, Scott sings of "small victories, battles lost and won." But in the bridge, a ringing guitar is introduced as Scott, joined by Woodward (in a mix that recalls what Amanda Brown brought to The Go-Betweens' work) sings, "I can float over the rooftops / In my dreams that's what I do."
The wistful "Looking For Sunshine" has terrific guitar work from Scott, lovely backing vocals (again) from Woodward, and one of my favorite tunes and some of my favorite lyrics on the album: "You might be looking for sunshine / You might be hiding from rain / Wherever you are it will be fine."
"Antlers," the single, is a shining example of the New Zealand sound. It rocks and the band sounds great. "Walking Man" is another upbeat, rocking gem and has another marvelous guitar workout.
In the jaunty "Rocks And Pillars," the guitar, bass, and drum are in lockstep as we find ourselves on a hiking tour of the country. In both mood and vocal, the elegant "Diamonds" could have been a Norman Blake-penned marvel from any of the last three Teenage Fanclub albums. And the album closes with a jangle on "Not So Good" about, it seems, someone who you can tell is lying because their mouth is moving.
The Deep Set is out now on Flying Nun Records.
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