Customer Reviews

Two Suns [Vinyl]

5 star:		(24)
4 star:		(13)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Seven stars! The music press is abuzz with Natasha Kahn as heir apparent to the genre inhabited by Kate Bush, Bjork and other not-so-easily-pigeon-holed femme fatales. To be sure, comparisons are in order, but only as points of reference. My first listen to this spell-binding collection reminded me of the first time I heard Kate Bush's "Hounds Of Love", a percussion driven, minimally orchestrated production that showcased a spectacular vocal instrument. Like Bush, Khan modulates her voice effortlessly from a whisper to a howl, all while achieving a stratospheric range, as in the opener "Glass." She also has an appreciation for "less is more" in her instrumental arrangements. On some, synths glisten above and rumble below primal drumming and beguiling multi-track vocal splashes. On others, a simple piano accompaniment is all that's needed. All of the songs share equal merit (a pleasant surprise, considering the abundance of first-four-song fizzles), and each is thoroughly engaging. Her lyrics abound in flights of fancy, allusions to knights in crystal armor and emerald cities. While they could easily sound pretentious and precious, as is the case with some of her contemporaries, she breathes them to life as they intertwine with and inhabit each song. In some she conjures deeply insightful moments. She laments in Sleep Alone, "lonely, lonely, lonely his mother told me/ the dream of love is a two hearted dream." Or solemnly and perhaps topically in Peace Of Mind, "If I ever get back down / find a map that takes me back / through the wounded, through the wars / to a time that came before" And the poignant and perhaps self referent Traveling Woman, the most moving song of the set, "Never fall in love with potential / `cause you can't see it with your own eyes / All the pretty faces and sorry words / can take away your pride." Natasha Khan's world is full of pride and potential. May those qualities guide her through what promises to be a long and fruitful journey. I eagerly await the next step.

It's like climbing a long velvet rope sewn with golden charms and jewels. That description sums up the experience of listening to Bat For Lashes (aka Natasha Khan), even in her lesser songs. And fortunately "Two Suns" doesn't really have any lesser songs -- just a steady stream of painfully exquisite, crystalline pop that focus on the feeling of love that's gone.

"In the street's broadways I seek... him whom my soul loveth," she sings softly in the introductory song, before switching to a mix of tribal drums and wafting keyboard. .

After that, she spreads out into a string of love songs -- in fact, this entire album is pretty heavy on those. Most are bittersweet descriptions of an affair falling apart ("I drove past true love once, in a dream/Like a house that caught fire, it burned and flamed"), but there are some beautifully idealistic moments as well.

Along the way, Khan dabbles in some stompy synthy dance, a hymnlike freak-folk ballad backed by a choir, and the warmly off-kilter "Traveling Woman," and a finale that evokes old wooden stages, toy pianos and an old theatre being shut down ("No more spotlights/coming down from heaven... and already my voice is fading/goodbye, my dears/and into the big city...").

Fortunately she doesn't abandon her signature sound, which is that of an old fantasy story mutating into a beautiful, slightly wicked dream -- swirling pop, haunting piano ballads, the soaring and unnerving echoes of "Siren" and its synth-studded companion "Pearl's Song," ethereal melodies swathed in shimmering keyboard, and the exotic sweet danciness of "Two Planets." But the absolute peak of the whole thing has to be "Daniel," an catchily effervescent ode to a man with a "flame in his heart."

One of the biggest questions that comes to mind when listening to "Two Suns" is -- why is the music industry flooded with no-talent pop hacks, when such exquisitely vibrant music is right there for the listening? It's an album with stunning vocals and instrumentation, and lyrics that evoke images of forests on fire, magicians, crystal cities, and an alter ego Khan calls Pearl (who is either a femme fatale or a fantasy traveler).

Khan's music is, if possible, even more beautiful than before, mainly because she's managed to polish the instrumentals even further. In most songs she weaves together a shimmering wall of hauntingly silky keyboard with drums, violins, sharp beats and painfully pretty piano, but sometimes she also pares it down to the bare essentials ("Peace of Mind").

But Khan's voice is one of the loveliest things in this album -- she can sing powerfully or wistfully, and she even shows that she can manage a song almost a capella ("Peace of Mind" again). Her songwriting is even better: she can conjure powerful emotions with vivid swathes of words ("I drove past true love once, in a dream/Like a house that caught fire, it burned and flamed"). It's almost sensual.

"Two Suns" is a lush, lovely album that shows how much Natasha Khan's music has grown in the last year, and reminds you of the dark, beautiful places just out of reach.

The miserable-type (I read his other reviews. Sad.) that claimed this is corporate music dressed up for people who "don't know any better" was condescendingly insulting your intelligence. Don't buy into it. If he'd just done some research on Natasha Khan maybe he'd have seen more clearly what she was after. It also helps to listen to more than the first 3 seconds of each song (on other sites that actually let you preview the whole song), as these songs take a lot of twists and turns.

The first knowledge that I have about this project with this gorgeous girl and her stunning voice was given to me by Mr Thom Yorke (Radiohead) who said that this girl had tons of talent and a wonderful album on her hands. Well, i decided to give it a shot and I bought "Two suns" this morning. My personal reaction? Couldn't be more pleased! Natasha Khan has a stunning voice and she makes music in what it seems to be without any doubt: a remarkable singer for a near future. Her voice makes me remember Dolores O'Riordan (Ex Cranberries) by moments but, not even Mrs. O'Riordan sounded so pure and beautiful as Natashe here.

The first track "Glass" is stunning whith some tunes that go beyond simple pop... no way! this girl pushes her boundaries of what she is able to do. Then "Sleep alone" and "Moon and Moon" are simply organic... total extasis while you listen to some acoustic guitar and some piano fading away and coming back with intelligent pop textures through both tracks. "Daniel" on the other hand would be the techno tune that Nataha decided to carry on in the record. "Pearl's dream" is just another beautiful song made to haunt us down through the valleys of happiness, sadness and joy as well.

It's seems that Bat for lashes is a project that tries to sound to a friendlier version of Bjork and eventhough it doesn't get that far, it's still a piece of art that anyone who really wants to discover awesome new singers or bands in the Indie scene should try. I only hope that Natasha Khan keeps on making this kind of music with passion and artistical integrity for many years to come and I really hope that she avoids being swallowed by the all mighty music industry that tries to make music nowadays more commercial and hence, really, really boring. If Thom Yorke told you how great your music was Natasha, you MUST be proud of yourself. Stunning, beautiful album!!!

Natasha Khan, the one-woman band behind Bat for Lashes, released a truly original and mesmerizing debut album "Fur and Gold" (2006 release in her home UK home market, released in 2007 in the US). Since then we've had not nearly enough exposure to Bat for Lashes in the US. While de debut almost almost immediately garnered critical acclaim here as well (with virtually no airplay), she rarely played live in the US. Now, finally, comes the eagerly awaited sophomore album.

Before the album came out, I had read somewhere that "Two Suns" (11 tracks; 45 min.) was supposed to be a concept album of sorts, about Khan's "spiritual self" and her "destructive, self-absorbed, blonde femme fatale" alter-ego Pearl. That certainly caught my attention. The album starts off with 3 very strong tracks: the dramatic opener "Glass", which is followed by "Sleep Alone" and the piano-heavy "Moon and Moon", which sounds like an new-and-improved Tori Amos. In fact, pianos are far more prevalent on this than on the debut album. "Piece of Mind" is going back to the Bjork-influence that also came thought on the debut album. "Pearl's Dream" has all the features of a good dance song, except that it really isn't one somehow. My favorite song on here is "Two Planets", with its mysterious soundscape.

As you listen to the songs, one really doesn't get the feeling that this is a concept album. Of course it doesn't help that there are no liner notes to speak of (and the ones that are there are in impossibly small print) and, worse, no lyrics to the songs to follow along the 'story line'. Not that the album doesn't sound good, far from it, but it does lack the element of surprise from the debut album. If you wonder where you can hear Bat for Lashes, check out internet-only WOXY (Bam! The Future of Rock and Roll), which brings the best indie-music in the country, bar none. Even though I go to a lot of shows and about 3 music festivals a year, I still haven't had a chance to see Bat for Lashes in concert. I hear the live show is even better than the studio recordings, and I can only hope to get a chance to see it with my own eyes sometime soon.

If you were wondering, as I was, whether there would ever be another person even *remotely* like Bjork, Tori Amos or Kate Bush, in terms of integrity and sonic creativity, then wonder no more.

She's here.

Start with "Daniel". It's the most chart-friendly (though in today's barren chartscape, will probably be too lush for the 3-chord ears of many listeners).

If you like that, try "Glass" or "Pearl's Dream". The latter fair knocks my socks off. Sensational!

Thom Yorke is a fan, and Bat For Lashes supported Radiohead on tour a couple of years ago. Everybody should have taken heed.

Have a look at what Natasha is doing here - there's homage to her favourites - from Kate Bush to Dead Can Dance. But what she's created is still truly her own, and is utterly astonishing for it. Songs soar, dive and weave, and are never conventional - even Daniel has an unexpected and catchy chorus. Beauty and power abounds. Drums abound. And she's in control the whole way.

This is the record that makes you realize that most other recent newcomers to this genre, are such pretenders, coiffed by stylists and songwriters, and desperate to be on MTV. Even if she never makes another record like this, we can at least savour this moment.

I hope she never sells out, and continues to delve as deep and thoughtfully for inspiration as she has here. I would gladly wait 10 years for another album such as this.

UK songstress Natasha Khan, better known as Bat For Lashes, comes from the same line of females as Tori Amos, Björk, Kate Bush, or PJ Harvey. "Two suns" is her sophomore disc, follow up to her Mercury prize nominated debut "Fur and gold".

Opening cut "Glass" mentions the album title to insistent beats set against a sweeping New Age/Electro backdrop. She delicately weaves her breathy/desperate vocals around "Sleep alone", ranging from sultry lows to soprano highs against a throbbing soundscape.

The piano-driven ballad "Moon and moon" has a goth feel, while "Daniel" is a gently cinematic song with viola over softly stomping beats. This is my favourite track.

The mood throughout the album is dreamy and melancholic with her vocal histronics never stepping out of bounds. Every song is a standout really: "Peace of mind" (interesting vocal arrangements towards the end), the chiming "Siren song", the buzzing surreal-sounding "Pearl's dream", the breathy ethereal organ driven "Good love", the Björk-like "Two planets" (with chiming bells, hand claps and insistent beats against a skeletal moody backdrop), the piano ballad "Travelling woman", and closing cut the piano ballad "The big sleep", a delicate duet with an Antony Hegarty-sounding Scott Walker.

Intelligent lyrics set to simple, but catchy tunes. Stupendously stunning!

Bat For Lashes is the pseudonym for Natasha Khan, a supremely talented singer/songwriter/musician/visual artist out of Brighton, England. I had heard some of her music a couple of years ago in the online Internet radio sphere, and while I liked it, it didn't quite make me seek out her music. However, "Two Suns", her second album, is one of the best albums I've heard in the last five years or so and a lot of people are taking notice. This isn't an album that's easily dismissed.

The opener "Glass" is a breathtaking journey into propulsive, primal drumming and haunting vocals dominating a soaring chorus. This has all the makings of being one of those tracks that I'll be clicking repeat on over and over. "Moon and Moon" is a simple piano led ballad/lullaby with a lovely chorus about lost love .

"Daniel", the album's first single, is an homage to a fictional character from a popular 80's movie that Khan apparently developed a crush on in her younger years. The dark, dramatic video for "Daniel" clues us in on who this character might be (as does the picture painted on Natasha's back on the cover of the single). Moving is the only way to describe the song, with 80's synths and strings carrying the melody throughout and the vocals as the centerpiece in one of the best choruses of the year. (Yes, she really knows how to write a chorus). There is a simpler "acoustic" version that Natasha sometimes performs live, and it's simply poignant.

"Siren Song" opens with gentle piano and vocals before building to a hair-raising crescendo of piano, keyboards and those primal, clattering drums. This song brings to mind Bjork and underrated 90's UK band Goya Dress. At times, there are some similarities between Natasha's vocals and Goya Dress's Astrid Williamson's.

"Pearl's Dream" has a bouncy rhythm and sound that one can easily imagine 80's Peter Gabriel singing over. It would be a good choice for second single as it has a catchy multi-tracked vocal in the chorus. And the end of the song is outstanding as she brings it to a close with the repeated lyrics "You know that it's time to go up, up, up, up, up/ Had a big machine riding your shoulders". That part of the song is one of the highlights of the whole album for me.

The whole album seems to be colored with the half-light of a permanent solar eclipse, when the moon, stars and planets are visible. And dreams and visions have an all too clear meaning. You can call out the influences on BFL's music. But that is just simplifying the matter. You have to really listen to the individual songs and lyrics. The way she builds on her influences is what is impressive.

Just as an aside - people should really check out the video for "What's a Girl To Do" (perhaps on YouTube) from BfL's debut album "Fur and Gold". Another example of BFL's brilliance and creativity.

When I first discovered Bat for Lashes last year, I was thrilled. I couldn't believe I was lucky enough to find such a unique and fascinating artist. I downloaded "Two Suns" as soon as I could (11:30 pm last night, it came out early!) and get to listening. The first single, "Daniel" is a love song with that fantastical touch. It's easily the most "catchy" and I liked it as soon as I heard it. I love the kind of asian type strings in the melody. The first track "Glass" is an amazing opener. It starts off slow, ethereal and quickly picks up pace. The drums in this are great, and the lyrics in this song are probably my favorite, although every song on this album has beautifully crafted lyrics. From "Moon and Moon" to "Pearl's Dream" its full of complete goodness. I especially love the first 7 tracks. "Siren Song" and "Pearl's Dream" are two sides of the same coin. These songs are meant to be heard back to back. The whole album, honestly should be heard in order. I'm sure the sequence is all apart of BFL's storytelling. Overall, I would highly recommend this album, especially if you already are a fan. Natasha takes all the elements that worked in "Fur and Gold" and builds on them in "Two Suns" to the point that I might dare say its better, or if not, equal to her amazing debut. She continues to fascinate and demand your attention with music and lyrics that are as visual as watching a film.

Regarding Two suns (I've not heard Ms. Kahn's first album yet)-
Inevitable comparisons must surface... Enya, & to some degree, Lorenna McKinnet, or Moire Brennan, but Ms. Kahn is not "straight-jacketed" by her approach; not settled into a single "sound", yet there IS a Ms. Khan "sound"... It's just not placed in your lap on a platter as the other two ladies I mentioned do ( & don't get me wrong, I love both Enya, & Ms. McKinnet's work)- it's just that you might have to "work" a trifle, delve into her washes of sound to discern her "sound'.
Difficult? Not at all!
Fun? Indeed!
Worth your time & money?
I vote YES!