Bat For Lashes
Country of origin:
Natasha Khan born in Pakistan, now lives in England
Type of music generally:
Beautiful & fierce evocative/eclectic alternative pop
Status:
Most recent release, Fur and Gold (2006)
See also:
Bat For Lashes' site
Comparisons:
Björk, PJ Harvey, Kate Bush, Cat Power, My Brightest Diamond
Covers/own material:
Own
General comments:
I can see the Cat Power comparison a little bit in terms of tone and texture, but I'd say Natasha is far less narcoleptic than Chan Marshall.
I'd say My Brightest Diamond (which is basically a woman named Shara Worden, in rotating arrangements with various collaborators) is a better comparison, if you've heard them.
My Brightest Diamond's Bring me the Workhorse came out last year... Both Shara and Natasha have strong, trained voices, and are trying to merge classical and pop/rock impulses. In the artful, moody Ectoish way, not the cornball, yuck-yuck, my-ears-are-bleeding Josh Groban/Il Divo kind of way.
Both albums are strong, but neither *quite* live up to my expectations for them. They're really, really good (which is saying a lot), but not thrilling. I think it's an issue of songwriting, composition and production not offering as many surprises as I believe they're capable of. (timjy@sbcglobal.net)
Comments about live performance:
I enjoyed the mixture of art, paganism and shoddiness. By the last I partially mean the home-made nature of the visuals—the golden headbands (ears sticking out, glowing pink) and mismatching outfits (two reminding me of my old brown girl guide uniform)—if they had looked like glamorous dark priestesses when gathered around the red-lit drum or striking sticks on the floor, it wouldn't have been half as charming. Also the music had a lovely lack of polish with jangly bells and drums and recorded beats and an altogether punkish approach to what could be too precious and fairytale-like.
I wonder what they'll turn into. They sounded like a young band and often their kind of individuality disappears with polish and more learned songwriting, but at the same time they didn't seem quite there yet musically (to me).
They played less than an hour! Work ethic, people! Perhaps it is a venue policy.
I enjoyed them live, but moreso on record. Live I felt I was watching a high school art class putting on a musical production, what with the costumes and artsy arrangements and charming youthfulness. Recommended, nonetheless. (9/07, k_hester_k@yahoo.co.nz)I just saw Bats for Lashes in Philly last night and they were brilliant. (9/07, brni @ kappamaki . com)
Recommended first album:
Fur and Gold is their debut
Recordings:
Fur and Gold (2006)
Fur and Gold
Release info:
2006—Echo (U.K.)—ECHCD 72; 2007—Caroline Records (U.S.)
Availability:
Wide
Ecto priority:
Highly recommended
Group members:
Abi Fry—viola (1, 3, 8, 9 10, 11)
Caroline Weeks—autohardp (3), backing vocals (3, 6, 8), guitar (6, 7, 8)
Mary Funnell & Ana McInerney—violins (8)
Tim Byford—drums (1, 4, 10, 11)
Josh T. Pearson—guitar (2, 11), backing vocals (2, 9), vocals (11)
Ben Christophers—bass, guitar (4, 6, 10)
Sophie Sirota & Howard Gott—violins (1, 2, 8)
Emma Ransdale—harp (1, 4)
Tim Hutton—trumpet, trombone (1)
Rachael T. Sell—backing vocals (10)
Mike Goodman—vocal sea sounds (9)
David Kosten—kayboards (9), special foot taps (8)
Natasha Khan—vocals (all), keyboards (1, 2, 4, 6, 9, 10), piano (3, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 11), percussion (1, 2, 4, 6, 7, 10), drums (2, 4, 6), Hammond organ (5), autoharp (7), guitar (9), vibraphone (9), sounds (11), harmonium (6)
Guest artists:
David Kosten—additional keyboards, programming
Natasha Khan, Abi Fry, Mary Funnell & Ana McInerney—string arrangements
Produced by:
David Kosten & Natasha Khan
Comments:
For once the hype pays off and the critics and I were in tune: Fur and Gold is fantastic. A weird and wonderful album, haunting and atmospheric, sounding at times like Björk and PJ Harvey jamming on a bleak moor beneath a full moon. Definitely ecto material, highly recommended, and well worth tracking down. I've been thoroughly jaded this year, and this is one of the very, very few new albums that have excited me to this extent. (adamk@zoom.co.uk)I love Bat For Lashes new album. I don't get the Kate comparison either, except perhaps that she deals with some quirky topics in her songs.
Great album, I'd definitely check it out. (jonwesleyhuff@gmail.com)So. Anyway. I found out about Bat For Lashes, pseudonym for singer-songwriter Natasha Khan, and her album (from what I've heard of it) is actually really nice, although I'm not seeing the Kate comparisons. Maybe Cat Power with a more trained voice. I think. I know I want to compare this to someone but I just can't think of who...anyway. It's good stuff. I really like it. (lotterose@gmail.com)
I see the Björk and PJ Harvey meeting on a moor comparison, but I also get a strong sense that she coming a music from a Kate Bush-like place, especially lyrically. A powerful debut, and one of my favourite discs of both 2006 (I got the U.K. edition) and 2007 (I'll count it twice). (Neile)
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