words: Jamie Milton
originally scribed for thisisfakediy
You’ve probably heard the press bio by now: Natasha Kahn, raised in Pakistan, moved to Hertfordshire, travelled down to Brighton to study an art and music degree in Brighton, gave birth to Bat For Lashes, got famous. That’s not the most difficult-sounding upbringing and with wealth from a very early age, how could this single-songwriter ever fail to have a smile on her face? Well she could be as happy as can be for all we know, but the moment she steps out to thousands of smiling at the Brighton Dome, a venue in her home-town, she looks like she’s reached an emotional high.
The applauders seem in particular jubilant spirits, with support act – Brooklyn’s Yeasayer – receiving one of the more rapturous responses any support band will receive this year. And when you consider this came after a set consisting highly of new, unreleased material, that makes the crowd response even more significant. What will arrive in 2010 as a follow-up to 2007’s imaginative breakthrough ‘All Hour Cymbals’, looks set to be far more percussion and sample based. All the energy found on the likes of ‘Sunrise’ and ‘2080′, the highlights of the set, is maintained and even bulked-up at times.
But this night was all about a homecoming. Only months before, Bat For Lashes was performing in the Dome’s neighbour venue, the Corn Exchange; half the capacity, devoid of the seated circle that sits intimidatingly at the top of the Dome, and far less atmospheric, this step up in such a short time highlights the wonderful job Kahn did on second album, ‘Two Suns’. You really notice the difference between debut ‘Fur And Gold’ and her latest when lead singles from both records are played back to back: ‘What’s A Girl To Do?’ gets the audience more active but the following ‘Daniel’ is the crowd’s favourite, the most now single in her discography. This frantic tale of teenage love sustains its charm on the live stage. Even low points on her second Mercury nominated album, ‘Pearl’s Dream’ and ‘Two Planets’, are given extra drive and importance when performed.
However much of the set’s finest moments come from the debut. This can be pin-pointed towards the luxurious, Victorian-era, royal feel of the venue which compliments the mystical content of ‘Fur And Gold’ perfectly. Kahn seems more at ease when performing the likes of ‘Trophy’ and closer ‘Prescilla’. The only thing this set lacks is a moment of respite, a period for the audience to simply sit and admire a far-from-static Kahn. The tranquil, retrospective ‘Travelling Woman’ and ‘Moon And Moon’ would have suited that perfectly, but they are absent from the performance.
But tonight’s not a time to be picky. Here, Brighton can truly claim to the making of a star. It’s a complete affirmation that Natasha Kahn has unleashed herself as a formidable artist, who’s seemingly not even half way through her journey of producing heartfelt, rousing 21-century anthems.
mp3// Bat For Lashes – Daniel
mp3// Yeasayer – Wait For The Summer
LYRICS: April’s Almighty
words: Jamie Milton
My appetite is well and truly wet for May’s releases already. But that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t marvel at some of the lyrical content from the pretty average April that we just waved goodbye to. We’ve already gone head-over-heels in love for Tom Clarke of the Enemy’s latest blasting of modern day Great Britain, but his lack of inclusion won’t leave many of you guys miffed, I doubt.
Anyway, here’s some good’uns:
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“When I run in the dark
To a place that’s vast
Under a sheet of rain in my heart
I dream of home”
BAT FOR LASHES – DANIEL
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“ Like a moth to the flame
I will turn back again”
DOVES – 10:03 (mp3)[alt]
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” All along, not so strong without these open arms
Hold on tight
All along, not that strong without these open arms
Lie beside
All along, not so strong without these open arms
Ride beside”
YEAH YEAH YEAHS – RUNAWAY (mp3) [alt]
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APRIL: A Short, Swine-Flu Free Summary
words: Jamie Milton
Thank heavens we were preoccupied with ordering batches of masks and tinned food this month. Had it not been for the global pandemic which WE DEFINITELY SHOULD NOT START GETTING COMPLACENT ABOUT, we’d have been bored shitless. Music was pretty rubbish and it’s got me thinking that 2009 is going to be an even worse music-year than 2008. At least last year by this time we had the pleasure of Cut Copy, Fleet Foxes, Bon Iver and No Age, all single-handedly saving the year from a dreadful collapse. This year, the big guns have delivered and The Horrors have got brilliant. But there’s not much else to say apart from Mica Levi can’t cut it live with an acoustic guitar, but she sure can on record.
April was devoid of triumph and stand-out moments. Instead we were treated to a solid batch of follow-up records and a couple of stinkers. Super Furry Animals officially put out their excellent ninth record, Welsh accents included, with ‘Dark Days/Light Years’. And fellow veterans Doves made the four-year-wait worth it by revisiting their epic, uplifting rock sound. Bat For Lashes went a thousand steps forward with her second record ‘Two Suns’, with Yeasayer adding a crafty edge to the songs. Song-wise, nothing will top ‘Daniel’ this year. It’s quite simply, flawless.
The Veils’ third record was unsurprisingly sophisticated and expert in songwriting, with unsurprisingly impressive results. Camera Obscura might just have made their best record yet with the dreamy ‘My Maudlin Career’ and Bill Callahan (pictured) surprised us a little with his twisted lullabies in ‘Sometimes I Wish We Were An Eagle’. The only disappointment came in the form of Metric, which to MFM’s annoyance, everybody else seems to think is pretty good. But for fuck’s sake, it’s really not. The Enemy didn’t disappoint, instead they wowed us with their laugh-out-loud lyrical content (“You know there’s no such thing as a free meal // There ain’t no future in British steel“). Well Tom Clarke, there ain’t no future in Mexican tourism for the time being but you don’t hear THEM complaining. They probably are though, they’re just a bit far away.
APRIL’S RELEASES, IN SCORE ORDER:
Super Furry Animals – Dark Days/Light Years — 8.3
Doves – Kingdom of Rust — 8.2
Bat For Lashes – Two Suns — 7.9
(mp3: Sleep Alone) [alt]
The Veils – Sun Gangs — 7.9
Bill Callahan – Sometimes I Wish We Were An Eagle – 7.7
Camera Obscura – My Maudlin Career — 7.6
Brakes – Touchdown — 7.2
Yeah Yeah Yeahs – It’s Blitz! — 6.5
(mp3: Hysteric) [alt]
Metric – Fantasies — 3.9
The Enemy – Music For The People — 3.8
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’ an
d 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.
7.9
mp3: Bat For Lashes – Siren Song (zshare)
A P P R O P R I A T E
top photo: Rhiannon Adam
whilst on the subject of Bat For Lashes, here’s another self-obsessed post containing some of the music I make. It’s a sketchy/half-finished cover me and Jo did about six months ago, of Natasha Kahn’s best song, without a doubt.
mp3: influence – horse & i [bat for lashes cover] (zshare)
F A I R I E S
INITIAL THOUGHTS: Bat For Lashes – Two Suns
words: Jamie Milton
2006’s Mercury nominated ‘Fur and Gold’ thrilled us all, notably for its intelligence, sophistication but most of all its suggestion of something more. With 3 more years to her name, Natasha Kahn’s spent the last 12 months supporting Radiohead and attempting to create an all the more impressive second album, to confirm many a person’s prediction on just how special she might become.
Lead single ‘Glass’ has an equally sparse full band background contribution as that on Kahn’s debut, with perhaps a darker atmosphere emerging from the full product. Lurking inside is the sort of mystifying, natural imagery that we’d expect to be tucked into the lyrics and as an opening track to ‘Two Suns’, it continues Kahn’s speciality of teasing her listener into wondering whether there’s better to come.
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SHUFFLED///
To get a very quick impression of what’s in store, we’re going to type ‘Two Suns’ into our iTunes so that we can put the record on shuffle. The first three tracks that emerge will get a quick-fire review and an initial percentage rating. Simple.
Peace Of Mind
An acute acoustic melody commences this dark, brooding soulful choir-led 5th track on the record. Reminiscent of a female Patrick Wolf, Kahn remains keen to experiment with a combination of run of the mill instruments and more exploratory sounds. Whilst the track could burst into the spectacular, perhaps it sounds best settled and sticking to a theme the title suggests. But does the choir go with the rest of it? On first impressions, it sounds like it might’ve just got chucked in there at the last minute.
50%
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Travelling Woman
A more melodic and “radio-friendly” piano opening starts up this one. Sounding akin to a dreary, doomful Thom Yorke on occasions with nothing but an echoed piano and her voice to put the ear upon, Kahn hasn’t quite sounded so spiritual yet mature at the same time. It almost feels like this could be a song on her fifth album. This’ll require plenty more listens to get a total grasp of but it could become the record highlight.
80%mp3: Bat For Lashes – Travelling Woman (
zshare)
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Pearl’s Dream
Trading the drum kit for a more flexible machine, a polished pop vibe dominates ‘Pearl’s Dream’. But it’s not too clean to become off-putting, the occasional spontaneous wail from Kahn ensures this. Lyrics are still cemented in impersonality and the past (“And when the battle was done/ I was promised my son”), at least you would assume so. A potential single, and certainly more accessible to most than the two songs we picked above. A few more plays and this will almost definitely stand out.
72%
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Ok so nothing as of yet contains the beauty and elegance of ‘Horse & I’, nor the gloriously melodic chorus of ‘Prescilla’. Kahn sounds more to have stuck to a motto of experimenting to create something potentially incredible. She hasn’t given herself time to settle; whether that proves a decent tactic to play will be decided with a few listens. One thing that’s already emerged however is substance, and lots of it.
MFM @ HYPEM
