Bat For Lashes – ‘Fur And Gold’ (She Bear/Echo) Released 11/09/06

Introducing Bat for Lashes: writer/lead vocalist/instrumentalist (beautiful mentalist) Natasha Khan with happy clapping sisters of mercy collaborators Ginger Lee and Abi Fry. Personally invited by Devandra Banhart to perform on his All Tomorrows Parties’ stage in May 2006, Bat for Lashes, made themselves known to more of the world. The French, of course, had discovered them already from a mere 7,000 other musical soldiers in a battle to find fresh musical maestros.

Before Natasha broke free she worked as a nursery school teacher telling tales and making puppets. Indeed it was a dream fuelled quest that infused ‘Horse And I’ and graced the album’s general intent. Although Tori Amos is not listed in Natasha’s influences it’s almost impossible to imagine she isn’t inspired by her. Perhaps that is just the mutterings of a simple minded notion surrounding a God (all things mystical) freeing/finding experimental, independent female who plays pianos and produces her own work (see also Kate Bush). ‘Horse And I’ follows Tori’s original ‘Professional Widow’ and trends of album ‘Boys For Peele’ with nuances of medieval music for Kings (“…and Queens and courtiers”, see ‘Trophy’) emphasised by harpsichord. ‘Trophy’ - with Josh T Pearson featuring as Devandra Banhart (!) - certainly has the whinnying pleas of Bjork. If you don’t get addicted to hearing chorus “creatures of me-e-ercy, shoot, shooot. shoot them down, set me free…” with clapping angels in support, you don’t exist.

‘What’s A Girl To Do?’ is a more playful, modern, dance - that's in a Dirty Dancing style in Ronnettes’ ‘Be My Baby’ kind of way – under harpsichord and matter of fact honest talking that’s softer and sweeter than Nico, but still straight to the point: “but it was then I had to say…my bat lightening heart, wants to fly away”. ‘Prescilla’ is a song that gives the impression of being a great cover of an 80's dance track brought up to the 90's with Kate Bush influxes. It’s a wickedly catchy number, and features generous bouts of clapping. Example: “she really loves him Pres-cilla”, then clap clap clap. ‘Sarah’, in the chill and sigh of Broadcast, is a bit warped. “Sarah, I want to be like you. Sarah, I want to love like you. Sarah…chewing fingernails in her shit eating grin”. It’s finger clicks and bass, the stuff that future Grease movies should insist on.