For The Bats, far and away the most prolific band to come out of the Dunedin indie explosion, people can be forgiven for a similar degree of wariness upon hearing they’ve put out their eighth full-length, three months before they celebrate their 30th anniversary. Said people are ignorant simpletons who should be rounded up and shot.
The ten-year recording hiatus starting from 1995’s Couchmaster has been instrumental in revitalising the band’s sound. Everything since 2005’s At the National Grid has shown evidence of a startling maturity, and Free all the Monsters is no exception. Robert Scott’s voice is less raw and more lilting, without age diminishing its idiosyncrasy. The band has been more brazen about exploring other genres – Space Junk has a wonderful psych edge – yet, as before, have managed to absorb these influences into the monolith of their own unmistakable sound without bending to them. Best of all, as always, are Scott’s vocal harmonies with fellow guitarist Kaye Woodward, particularly in the lo-fi ballad It’s Not The Same and the churning When The Day Comes. Woodward’s voice has always been one of this band’s best assets, and it gilds this album to a degree that surpasses even earlier hits like Mastery and Block of Wood.
I said when it came out that 2008’s The Guilty Office was, despite all odds, the best thing The Bats ever put out. Free All The Monsters, by way of comparison, makes their previous effort look like a sweaty, obese man clutching a t-shirt cock cannon in the middle of the MCG.
Best Track: When the Day Comes
If You Like These, You’ll Like This: Boodle BoodleBoodle THE CLEAN, Bee Thousand GUIDED BY VOICES
In a Word: Bliss
