ALBUM: BAT FOR LASHES // TWO SUNS

ALBUM REVIEW: Bat For Lashes – Two Suns
words: Jamie Milton

It’s difficult to avoid the spaced-out, distant appearance of Natasha Kahn all over the music press at the moment. Talk of ‘Two Suns’ representing a whole plethora of emotions and symbols – it’s getting slightly old and weary already. To the casual listener, you don’t need to know about Kahn’s alter-ego, the blond-haired lover Pearl, or even the idea that is said to dominate the record – that of ‘Two Suns’, two energies at once. In fact if you’re trying to separate the record into two comparable spheres, it’s easily done. There’s one half of beautiful, modern, unique pop songs. And the other half consists of material a little more underwhelming.

But ‘Two Suns’ leaves you sunburnt by the end of the three-quarters-of-an-hour session. Bathe yourself under this ambitious piece of work for 45 minutes and there’s only one outcome: it will have a huge impact on you. The tracklisting is carefully thought out, introducing the more streamlined elements of Kahn’s work from the off. As the listen progresses, in comes the more ‘out-there’, more spiritual side to what makes Bat For Lashes so bloody intriguing. At times this can be off-putting; Pearl as a character, becomes so dominant that it’s almost a side-step. Of Montreal sound better when Kevin Barnes is bleak and honest, ignoring the sex-fuelled alter-egos. Kahn has taken note: ‘Travelling Woman’, a stripped-down, Polly Harvey-circa-’White Chalk’ piano ballad exposes the emotions inside this busy mind. “Never fall in love with potential, because you can see with your eyes” commands a misty voice – you get the feeling that every time Kahn cries out, “hang on travelling woman”, she’s calling out to her own conscience. Lyrics are dominant in spiritual ties and talk of forestry and mythical tales but when things are exposed as they are here, it’s refreshing.

To remove the oddities of Bat For Lashes however, would be to defeat the point of ‘Two Suns’ and everything that comes before and after. This record is essentially a progression from ‘Fur And Gold’, a not too sudden step forward in terms of maturity and awareness. Any mercury-prize nominations or tours with Radiohead haven’t left Kahn on a higher level than she should be, nor has it prevented her from writing the perfect pop song – that specific song being ‘Daniel’. It commences with the foggy, Yeasayer-assisted drones that end up faulting the record somewhat, but the chorus is one of the best for some time, separated from the indirectly-80’s-influenced bass grooves, the most startling part of the whole album. ‘Sleep Alone’, the most ‘Fur and Gold’-esque song on the record, plays a similar tactic. Lulling you into relaxation, it shocks you with its bold and upfront chorus. ‘Glass’ is a little more clear with its intentions: as an opening track it draws you in perfectly with its up-tempo, warm ambience. The second Kahn talks of picturing “A thousand crystal towers, a hundred emerald cities”, it indicates business as usual.

It’s in the more drawn-out piano-dominant ballads that you can see where this concept of ‘Two Suns’ is coming from. “Shoot the big bad wolf” cries Kahn in ‘Moon and Moon’, the first of the gang to introduce this more sombre side. Then comes ‘Siren Song’, a beautifully built up, delicate number, one that moves you more than any other song.
The middle ground is where things can occasionally go wrong. ‘Peace of Mind’ dithers, never getting anywhere. ‘The Big Sleep’ is an attempt to draw in yet another odd element to the record, but the Scott Walker-featuring dark and brooding closer is nothing but a huge anticlimax. But much of the experimentation comes off well: with time, the tribal, single-material ‘Pearl’s Dream’ gets less ugly and fits in with the record nicely. ‘Two Planets’, plugged in to the thoughts of Bjork, is another big, big track, so ambitious in idea, so out of the ordinary and with the required, repeated listens comes an adoration of Bat For Lashes’ attempts, not just sympathy and respect.

From here, Natasha Kahn can only look forward, continuing to ignore any impactive temptations of stardom and success. By staying close to her roots, whilst getting a whole lot more industrious and inventive, she’s created another stepping stone towards a not so distant perfect album. Pretty soon, the concepts will add to the music, each song will flow without any distractions and she’ll be proclaimed a star.