Natasha Khan is probably getting fed up of the Björk comparisons. The Kate Bush ones too. But when you are a new artist with a debut album, everyone who listens to it will compare you to anyone who has gone before. So let’s toss in further similarities to PJ Harvey, Imogen Heap, or even a trans-gendered Nick Cave with boobs and flowing tresses. But refreshingly, Khan (who comes from Brighton, the daughter of a squash legend, and effectively is Bat For Lashes) is none of the above, and for all the cut and paste musicism that is deemed creative today, has crafted something mystical, haunting, different and ultimately very impressive. The twiddly harpsichord at the start of “Horse And I” lets you know right from the outset that this is going to be something beguilingly different. The eerie synths mix perfectly with a rolling drumbeat, which is continued through the complex and mildly tribal “Trophy”. But for the chilling chords and restrained wailing, there’s a real warmth in the way that Khan delivers. Best to stress now, that even though this is Halloween season, the bat of the band is more darkly flirtatious than Goth-rock vampire. Not to say there aren’t some forbidding moments though. “Tahiti” has some marvellous deep piano sounds (and some medieval ones too), whilst “Sad Eyes” is as delicate as a spider’s web, and will keep you equally stuck. “Keep my heart breaking in the dark / come and spend the night” she coaxes in the same way that it is impossible to refuse a black widow. Just as Beth Orton can be pigeonholed in the daftly named nu-folk category, so might Khan. The weird mysticism (on “The Wizard” in particular) could have you traipsing to stone circles and checking for the next solstice, let alone questioning the cauldron contents with the disconcerting lyric of “drink his blood / and he’s our leader”. If Sade was turned to the dark side of the force and enveloped a less manicured, kookier side to her, then she’d come up with “Sarah”. A wonderfully shuffling, bass-driven tale of dark admiration. “Seal Jubilee” has the eerie quality returning again but it is an enticing dreamscape. But it’s not all wistful dreaminess and bloody tales, as there’s other guts to this album too. “What’s A Girl To Do” is a musically punchy way to disclosing lost love, and “Prescilla” is outright catchy. Harmonies with a good hint of Tori Amos too, which also show off the bat’s naturally quirky side. She certainly has plenty going on in the belfry. Some lines you will “get”, others with an obtuse abstract side leave you pondering. Never a bad ethic, as the finest writers always leave something unsaid. There’s definitely nothing predictable and more twists and folds unravel on each play, though you may need a break after each time. It is quite intense, and doesn’t deserve passive listening, but her skill of combining passion in a whisper beside aural pictures with multiple layers, is almost unnerving. The fragile artistry is masterful and three dimensional - it’s no surprise that Natasha is a former film student. There’s closeness and distance combined. She speaks both in riddles and of obvious experiences, and although the intimacy of the vocals draw you in, the balance of strings, violas, harps and various keyboards keep you there. It’s an edgy comfort, but such is the uncommon amalgam of fur and gold. As a complete CD, there is enough of the unusual for the experimentalists to take note, and tunefulness for the less fervent to keep absorbed. Neil Chase Music Editor
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Tento produkt byl přidán dne Sobota 04. listopad 2006.

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BAT FOR LASHES - Fur And Gold - CD

249.00Kč

  • Horse And I
  • Trophy
  • Tahiti
  • What's A Girl To Do
  • Sad Eyes
  • Wizard
  • Prescilla
  • Bat's Mouth
  • Seal Jubilee
  • Sarah
  • I Saw A Light
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