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The Guilty Office Image
Metascore
74

Generally favorable reviews - based on 9 Critic Reviews What's this?

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  • Summary: This is the seventh album for the New Zealand rock quartet.
Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 6 out of 9
  2. Negative: 0 out of 9
  1. Mojo
    80
    It's guitarist Kaye Woodward who remains the band's covert star: her fuzzy solo on 'Crimson Enemy, limpid precision on 'Satellites'a dncrystalline backing vocals throughout represent thefairy dust on a record full of highs. [Jul 2009, p.97]
  2. The Guilty Office feels different; it sounds quite a bit like its predecessor (which in turn sounded quite similar to early ’90s efforts like Fear of God and Silverbeet), but like a new eyeglass prescription, it renders the familiar in sharper detail.
  3. Their sound will never grow tiresome; it only gets better with repeated use.
  4. Even as the band sticks to the path of least resistance, it skirts the MOR sandtrap that sinks so many indie rock acts that manage to last a quarter century.
  5. The dreamy-but-tuneful approach that Bats lovers have come to expect still reigns, but The Guilty Office also shows a willingness to expand things a bit.
  6. 60
    The Guilty Office recalls its predecessors, with better engineering focusing the details.
  7. The Bats have become an exciting band in their own right, and The Guilty Office is another solid installment in their discography.

See all 9 Critic Reviews

Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 1 out of 1
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 1
  3. Negative: 0 out of 1
  1. Kiwimars
    Aug 15, 2009
    9
    Another gem from the kiwi four-piece!