Bat for Lashes - Fur Gold (12 tracks) +Album Reviews

Relax,,, Settle in,,, And get ready to be mesmorized

Paul Allaer | Cincinnati | 08/15/2007

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Bat for Lashes is the one-woman band of Natasha Khan, a UK singer song-writer of Pakistani origin. If you aren't familiar with her sound, imagine Bjork meets Joanna Newsom meets Kate Bush with a splash of Dido even. I'm not entirely sure where I found out about this, it's either my 17 yr old daughter or internet-only station WOXY, but no matter, you are in for a delight.

"Fur and Gold" (11 tracks, plus 1 bonus track; 49 min.) is the debut album of Bat for Lashes. The opener "Horse and I" is a harpsichord-and-drums driven song, setting the table. "Trophy" is a quiet but threatening song with the ever-returning line "Heaven is a feeling I get in your arms", just beautiful. "What's A Girl To Do" (2nd UK single) is one of the more 'upbeat' tracks on the album. "Sad Eyes" is a beautiful piano ballad. "Prescilla" (1st UK single) is the most immediately accessible track of the album. "Bat's Mouth" is another slow-burner, with lush violins. It all leads up to the last track of the regular album, a 7 min. haunting "I Saw a Light". The bonus track is a (single B-side) cover of Bruce Springsteen's "I'm On Fire", and a textbook example of how a cover should be done: completely reinterpreted yet recognisible, just perfect.

This album was originally released in the UK a year ago and is now, slowly, finding an audience in the US. Natasha Khan is a talent to be watched. I have been completely mesmorized by "Fur and Gold". This is not an album you'll play in a hurry. Relax, settle in, and play this. I bet you'll be mesmorized too."

Hauntingly Glorious

R. Wright | Williamsburg, VA | 12/05/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Comparisons have been tossed about like leaves being flung about by the wind. Bat for Lashes has been compared to Tori Amos, Thom Yorke, Bjork, and Kate Bush. Maybe Natasha Khan does owe a little something to these musicians (who are brilliant in their own right), yet she doesn't owe them anything. She is her own creation, her own artist. A talented one at that, too. From the mesmerizing opener, "Horse and I", to the last track, "I Saw a Light", "Fur and Gold" weaves a magic all its own.

I had come across Bat for Lashes on Youtube and after watching the video for "What's A Girl To Do" I was haunted by Natasha's lush voice. After listening to the entire album, I am even more haunted. She has a voice that purrs, whispers and shouts. Compare her if you will to Tori, Bjork or Kate, but I find her to be different. I hope comparisons will not bog down this wonderful talent.

Listen to this with a pair of headphones on (or even without) just so you can get the complete feel of what Bat for Lashes has to offer. You will enjoy it. It will take you to a place that you probably have not been in a long time and that you had forgotten even existed."

Bring on the nerd rock.

Ana Barbus | somewhere in the midwest | 09/26/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"That's right - nerd rock. Anything dropping lords, ladies and wizards into its lyrics this much deserves such a classification. That being said - I love it. The arrangements are original, incorporating harpsichord and strings into unique, lush sounds. I could do without the spoken word internal dialogue-style stuff on "What's a Girl to Do?" (think Hermione from Harry Potter grown up and lamenting her fickle heart). She also seems to have what some might call an unnatural obsession with bats, mentioning them in nearly every song. But it works somehow - joining the lords and ladies and wizards for a thematic, dramatic good time.

I adore "Prescilla," and having grown up on Bruce Springsteen's "Born to Run," Bat for Lashes' cover of "I'm on Fire" makes me so very happy.

If you like Feist, Cat Power (especially Moon Pix and the Covers Record) and New Buffalo, you should check this girl out."

A truly enchanting and visionary experience...

Andrew Ellington | I'm kind of everywhere | 10/02/2009

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I stumbled onto Bat For Lashes quite by accident. I think I saw a blurp for her on my facebook page and I was intrigued because they likened her to an artist that I really liked (I can't think of who it was at the moment) but I never really took the time to look her up. Then when I was blogging I saw a thread devoted to the best videos of the decade and her video for `What's A Girl To Do?' was listed in the top ten; so I watched it. Before the video had ended I had added this album to my iTunes queue.

`Fur and Gold' is one of the best albums I've heard in a very, very long time.

Bat For Lashes is Natasha Khan, a half-Pakistani, half-English beauty who is as original and as talented as they come. There is no one quite like Khan, but the comparisons to Kate Bush and especially Bjork are not misplaced (I'd even add the likes of Sarah Brightman, OtEP and The Smashing Pumpkins to odd degrees). She has a mystical quality to her that does call to mind Bjork on a few tracks, but there is also a delicate restraint quality to her that makes her come off a little more earthy than theatrical.

The album opens with `Horse and I', an instantly embracing track that is the perfect definition of an `introduction'. With tribal drums and vibrating strings, this song sums up the power of the entire album without giving away too many of Khan's tricks or secrets. Songs like `What's A Girl To Do?' is a marvelous example of what Khan's edge can do to a simple and maybe even overdone subject. The chorus lines are flawlessly entrancing and the nearly spoken word verse structure adds a layer of poetic conversation to the track. It is one of the best singles I've heard this decade; easy (and watch that video...FLAWLESS). `Sad Eyes' is one of my favorite songs here. The soft piano adds a beautiful depth to the song, and Khan's vulnerable vocals really convey her emotional connection to the song. `Trophy' is one of the more otherworldly tracks here, eliciting in us a warm feeling of spirituality. She also sounds the most Bjork'like here. You can add `Tahiti' to that list of spiritual experiences. She has a way of infusing her ethnic background into her music without making it overpowering.

It elevates instead of hinders.

`The Wizard' and `Prescila' compliment each other very well. They both recall the other, with similar influences yet are delivered very differently. `The Wizard' is much more restrained and laid back, while `Prescila' begs us to sing along. They very wisely are paired together here at tracks 7 and 8. It's a nice flow.

`Sarah' is a stunning and pulsating track, while `Seal Jubilee' really takes us to another world with its stunning vibrato within a soft sea of simplicity. `The Bat's Mouth' has a layer of that simplicity, but it is less engaging to me than `Seal Jubilee'. Lyrically it is intriguing and quit brilliant, but the simple piano structure is a little forgettable. `I Saw The Light' is probably my least favorite tracks here, but it is followed by one of my favorites. `I'm On Fire' is a brilliant way to close the album, taking full advantage of Khan's sublime vocals while maintaining a musical uniqueness in an almost stripped bare delivery that allows Khan to shine without any distractions.

So, I have this to say in closing; Bat For Lashes is seriously one of the most intriguing, unique and inspiring musical artists churning out music today. Much like the artists she has drawn comparisons to, she is not an artist that everyone will be instantly drawn to, but if you want to experience something (and I mean really embrace an artists vision and experience that said vision) then `Fur and Gold' is an album you would do yourself a favor to own."

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	Bat for Lashes Fur & Gold Genres: Alternative Rock, Pop, Rock Track Listings (12) - Disc #1 Horse And I Trophy Tahiti What's a Girl To Do? Sad Eyes The Wizard Prescilla Bat's Mouth Seal Jubilee Sarah I Saw A Light I'm on Fire (Bonus Track) Bat for Lashes Photos
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