Bat For Lashes

This entry centers on a talented young artist known as Bat for Lashes. Her real name is Natasha Khan and she is 29 years old and is from Brighton, England, on the coast. She is of Pakistani and English descent.

Right off the bat, no pun intended, she impresses me not only because she writes all of her own songs but she is a very decent musician. She plays guitar as well as keyboards and autoharp. In the first song, "Horse and I", on her first album called Fur and Gold, she plays the harpsichord. This plays on my impressions of her as being a very unique, non-traditional artist that is willing to take chances. This goes a long way with me. Some have dubbed her as the first Brit artist to successfully join what has come to be known as the "freak folk" movement.

On Fur And Gold, released in 2007, she captures a mood of a reticent gothic and a lingering renaissance feel. It almost reminds me of a song that you could hear while watching a scene in any of the LOTR Trilogy on a rolling landscape of green fields. Very mystical and image-provoking qualities in her approach.

The song that really impresses me the most is called "Sad Eyes". This ballad is heartbreaking in so many ways. The piano is very understated as her smoldering vocals imprint a desperate feeling of resignation to a love that may never happen. Easily, my favorite song on her first effort. Here is a short, live version:



I also want to point out another great effort on this version for the Bruce Springsteen song called "I'm On Fire". This song was not on the first release but was added later as an extra track version. The song was already a slower song but she really brings it to a crawl. It accentuates her brilliant ability to sing a ballad and is breathtakingly beautiful in it's delivery.

Her debut was nominated for the prestigious Mercury Prize for 2007, a worthy accomplishment, indeed. She did win the Vanguard Award at the 2007 ASCAP Awards for her efforts.

Her second album was released earlier this year and is titled Two Suns. It is a concept album where she adopted a personna of a woman named Pearl. The album has immediate differences heard on the second song. There is a deep bass and beat that do not appear on the first album. This is due to the collaboration with an artist named Yeasayer. The overall feel is still of a medievel nature but has raised comparisons to Kate Bush in her vocal styling of the songs. I believe Kate to be more technically precise but understand why the comparisons are made.

My favorite song on this album is called "Siren Song". She calls herself by her alter-ego, Pearl, in this song and proceeds to seduce you with her honesty and devotion to her man. She accepts her evil nature as who she is and knows that her lover will leave her due to this eventually. Very captivating delivery and enthralling in it's execution.

Another song of note is called "Traveling Woman". It is a song that may be an autobiography to inspire other young women like herself to not give up on the dream. She insists to stay true and not be taken down by the lies that can pull you down.

This second effort was also nominated for the Mercury Prize for not only the album but for the song called "Daniel".

I am very impressed by Bat For Lashes. I expect to see continued success for her and look forward to her next release.

K