One of the most dynamic and intriguing performers out of the UK, Bat For Lashes (aka Natasha Khan) returns with her dazzling second album, produced by David Kosten (Faultline), featuring guest spots by Yeasayer and Scott W... more »alker. Bat For Lashes' previous album Fur & Gold was nominated for Mercury & Brit Prizes in the UK and a Plug Award in the US, and has received accolades from Thom Yorke, Bjork, Spin Magazine, Entertainment Weekly, The NY Times, GQ, Nylon and Blender.« less
One of the most dynamic and intriguing performers out of the UK, Bat For Lashes (aka Natasha Khan) returns with her dazzling second album, produced by David Kosten (Faultline), featuring guest spots by Yeasayer and Scott Walker. Bat For Lashes' previous album Fur & Gold was nominated for Mercury & Brit Prizes in the UK and a Plug Award in the US, and has received accolades from Thom Yorke, Bjork, Spin Magazine, Entertainment Weekly, The NY Times, GQ, Nylon and Blender.
"Seven stars! The music press is abuzz with Natasha Kahn as heir apparent to the genre inhabited by Kate Bush, Bjork and other not-so-easily-pigeon-holed femme fatales. To be sure, comparisons are in order, but only as points of reference. My first listen to this spell-binding collection reminded me of the first time I heard Kate Bush's "Hounds Of Love", a percussion driven, minimally orchestrated production that showcased a spectacular vocal instrument. Like Bush, Khan modulates her voice effortlessly from a whisper to a howl, all while achieving a stratospheric range, as in the opener "Glass." She also has an appreciation for "less is more" in her instrumental arrangements. On some, synths glisten above and rumble below primal drumming and beguiling multi-track vocal splashes. On others, a simple piano accompaniment is all that's needed. All of the songs share equal merit (a pleasant surprise, considering the abundance of first-four-song fizzles), and each is thoroughly engaging. Her lyrics abound in flights of fancy, allusions to knights in crystal armor and emerald cities. While they could easily sound pretentious and precious, as is the case with some of her contemporaries, she breathes them to life as they intertwine with and inhabit each song. In some she conjures deeply insightful moments. She laments in Sleep Alone, "lonely, lonely, lonely his mother told me/ the dream of love is a two hearted dream." Or solemnly and perhaps topically in Peace Of Mind, "If I ever get back down / find a map that takes me back / through the wounded, through the wars / to a time that came before" And the poignant and perhaps self referent Traveling Woman, the most moving song of the set, "Never fall in love with potential / `cause you can't see it with your own eyes / All the pretty faces and sorry words / can take away your pride." Natasha Khan's world is full of pride and potential. May those qualities guide her through what promises to be a long and fruitful journey. I eagerly await the next step."
That Pseudo-Intellectual Is Wrong
J. Stewart | Raleigh, NC | 04/28/2009
(5 out of 5 stars)
"The miserable-type (I read his other reviews. Sad.) that claimed this is corporate music dressed up for people who "don't know any better" was condescendingly insulting your intelligence. Don't buy into it. If he'd just done some research on Natasha Khan maybe he'd have seen more clearly what she was after. It also helps to listen to more than the first 3 seconds of each song (on other sites that actually let you preview the whole song), as these songs take a lot of twists and turns."
To be made of glass
E. A Solinas | MD USA | 04/07/2009
(5 out of 5 stars)
"It's like climbing a long velvet rope sewn with golden charms and jewels. That description sums up the experience of listening to Bat For Lashes (aka Natasha Khan), even in her lesser songs. And fortunately "Two Suns" doesn't really have any lesser songs -- just a steady stream of painfully exquisite, crystalline pop that focus on the feeling of love that's gone.
"In the street's broadways I seek... him whom my soul loveth," she sings softly in the introductory song, before switching to a mix of tribal drums and wafting keyboard. .
After that, she spreads out into a string of love songs -- in fact, this entire album is pretty heavy on those. Most are bittersweet descriptions of an affair falling apart ("I drove past true love once, in a dream/Like a house that caught fire, it burned and flamed"), but there are some beautifully idealistic moments as well.
Along the way, Khan dabbles in some stompy synthy dance, a hymnlike freak-folk ballad backed by a choir, and the warmly off-kilter "Traveling Woman," and a finale that evokes old wooden stages, toy pianos and an old theatre being shut down ("No more spotlights/coming down from heaven... and already my voice is fading/goodbye, my dears/and into the big city...").
Fortunately she doesn't abandon her signature sound, which is that of an old fantasy story mutating into a beautiful, slightly wicked dream -- swirling pop, haunting piano ballads, the soaring and unnerving echoes of "Siren" and its synth-studded companion "Pearl's Song," ethereal melodies swathed in shimmering keyboard, and the exotic sweet danciness of "Two Planets." But the absolute peak of the whole thing has to be "Daniel," an catchily effervescent ode to a man with a "flame in his heart."
One of the biggest questions that comes to mind when listening to "Two Suns" is -- why is the music industry flooded with no-talent pop hacks, when such exquisitely vibrant music is right there for the listening? It's an album with stunning vocals and instrumentation, and lyrics that evoke images of forests on fire, magicians, crystal cities, and an alter ego Khan calls Pearl (who is either a femme fatale or a fantasy traveler).
Khan's music is, if possible, even more beautiful than before, mainly because she's managed to polish the instrumentals even further. In most songs she weaves together a shimmering wall of hauntingly silky keyboard with drums, violins, sharp beats and painfully pretty piano, but sometimes she also pares it down to the bare essentials ("Peace of Mind").
But Khan's voice is one of the loveliest things in this album -- she can sing powerfully or wistfully, and she even shows that she can manage a song almost a capella ("Peace of Mind" again). Her songwriting is even better: she can conjure powerful emotions with vivid swathes of words ("I drove past true love once, in a dream/Like a house that caught fire, it burned and flamed"). It's almost sensual.
"Two Suns" is a lush, lovely album that shows how much Natasha Khan's music has grown in the last year, and reminds you of the dark, beautiful places just out of reach."
An orgy of melody!!
Nse Ette | Lagos, Nigeria | 04/21/2009
(5 out of 5 stars)
"UK songstress Natasha Khan, better known as Bat For Lashes, comes from the same line of females as Tori Amos, Björk, Kate Bush, or PJ Harvey. "Two suns" is her sophomore disc, follow up to her Mercury prize nominated debut "Fur and gold".
Opening cut "Glass" mentions the album title to insistent beats set against a sweeping New Age/Electro backdrop. She delicately weaves her breathy/desperate vocals around "Sleep alone", ranging from sultry lows to soprano highs against a throbbing soundscape.
The piano-driven ballad "Moon and moon" has a goth feel, while "Daniel" is a gently cinematic song with viola over softly stomping beats. This is my favourite track.
The mood throughout the album is dreamy and melancholic with her vocal histronics never stepping out of bounds. Every song is a standout really: "Peace of mind" (interesting vocal arrangements towards the end), the chiming "Siren song", the buzzing surreal-sounding "Pearl's dream", the breathy ethereal organ driven "Good love", the Björk-like "Two planets" (with chiming bells, hand claps and insistent beats against a skeletal moody backdrop), the piano ballad "Travelling woman", and closing cut the piano ballad "The big sleep", a delicate duet with an Antony Hegarty-sounding Scott Walker.
Intelligent lyrics set to simple, but catchy tunes. Stupendously stunning!"
Thom Yorke said it! Bat for lashes is something else.
NUEVE | Culiacan. Sin. Mex, | 06/26/2009
(5 out of 5 stars)
"The first knowledge that I have about this project with this gorgeous girl and her stunning voice was given to me by Mr Thom Yorke (Radiohead) who said that this girl had tons of talent and a wonderful album on her hands. Well, i decided to give it a shot and I bought "Two suns" this morning. My personal reaction? Couldn't be more pleased! Natasha Khan has a stunning voice and she makes music in what it seems to be without any doubt: a remarkable singer for a near future. Her voice makes me remember Dolores O'Riordan (Ex Cranberries) by moments but, not even Mrs. O'Riordan sounded so pure and beautiful as Natashe here.
The first track "Glass" is stunning whith some tunes that go beyond simple pop... no way! this girl pushes her boundaries of what she is able to do. Then "Sleep alone" and "Moon and Moon" are simply organic... total extasis while you listen to some acoustic guitar and some piano fading away and coming back with intelligent pop textures through both tracks. "Daniel" on the other hand would be the techno tune that Nataha decided to carry on in the record. "Pearl's dream" is just another beautiful song made to haunt us down through the valleys of happiness, sadness and joy as well.
It's seems that Bat for lashes is a project that tries to sound to a friendlier version of Bjork and eventhough it doesn't get that far, it's still a piece of art that anyone who really wants to discover awesome new singers or bands in the Indie scene should try. I only hope that Natasha Khan keeps on making this kind of music with passion and artistical integrity for many years to come and I really hope that she avoids being swallowed by the all mighty music industry that tries to make music nowadays more commercial and hence, really, really boring. If Thom Yorke told you how great your music was Natasha, you MUST be proud of yourself. Stunning, beautiful album!!!"