Rightly Bat for Lashes has been lauded by critics, both Fur and Gold and Two Suns are solid albums full of intrigue and innovation, however Bat for Lashes has thus far been unable to release a killer single, many have made obvious comparisons to Kate Bush, but unlike Bush we have yet to see a ‘Wuthering Heights’ or even a ‘Running Up That Hill’.
Lyrically the songs resemble Thomas Hardy’s Wessex Poems where love battles against landscape. ‘Sleep Alone’ has a rich stomp that pulses barbarically, combining beautifully with Natasha Khan’s fraught vocals. ‘Moon and Moon’ is a little more timid, coasting on ornate icy piano.
Looking forward it will be interesting whether Natasha Khan can write the kind of song that crosses the divide between the fairy land of her imagination and touch the consciousness of the mainstream. If instead she repeats the formula on album three then a backlash might well begin.
