Bat for Lashes
Two Suns

For me, too, the day has come to debut as a reviewer, and I hope not to disgrace myself in the presence of the many who, when it comes to fluent writing, truly have something to teach here.

After this necessary captatio benevolentiae (like "compliments for the broadcast, Mr. Bonolis"), I'll move on to introduce the work I want to talk about.

It's "Two Suns", the latest effort from 2009 by the project "Bat For Lashes".

But who is (or are) Bat for Lashes?
Natasha Khan, with Pakistani blood transplanted to Brighton, is the deus ex machina behind this band, and her work had already been widely appreciated with the previous "Fur and Gold" from 2006, whose ethereal and evocative sounds so conquered the good Thom Yorke (not just any pizza and figs) that he was convinced to bring Natasha and the rest of the band along as special guests to accompany Radiohead on their latest tour.

From this experience, the group and especially Natasha's songwriting gained a lot, there's absolutely no doubt about it.

This new work is - in my opinion - one of the best albums of 2009 (strange that no one had reviewed it yet..).

In this "Two Suns", and in Natasha Khan's vocal cords, you can perceive echoes of Bjork, Tori Amos, and Kate Bush.
A Bjork-like atmosphere hovers over "Glass" (stratospheric), "Good Love", and "Pearl's Dream", due to Natasha's vocal timbre, objectively similar to certain evolutions of the ice queen, and just by listening closely to "Sleep Alone" and again "Glass", you immediately think of Mrs. Bush's vocal acrobatics, while "Moon and Moon" and "Siren Song" seem instead to come from Tori Amos' enchanted throat.

However, pay attention: "Two Suns" is not an exercise in style or a CD à la Fiorello...
It's an incredibly personal work, oh yes it is.
The different vocal identities of Natasha are inserted into a simply amazing musical journey, made of tribal rhythms, Jarre-esque electronic, a maniacal melodic attention to arrangements, and above all, an absolute variety of styles that ends up captivating the listener.

Extraordinary, in my opinion, the sequence of the first four tracks.
"Glass", as I said, is my favorite piece, with a splendid vocal line, ascending and descending, from whisper to falsetto, spiced with the hypnotic hammering of bass and percussion.
"Sleep Alone" is a jewel composed of ethereal vocals, a pulsating heart of electronic drums, and keyboards that seem to come from another dimension.
"Moon and Moon" is a superb gem of sweetness, for piano, voice, and strings. Spine-tingling.
"Daniel" is the single that brought notoriety - at least in our parts - to Bat for Lashes.
Apart from the fantastic and disturbing video, the piece is perhaps more "catchy" than the previous ones, but not at all trite.
Here too, the rhythm is well cadenced, the vocal line is extremely personal, and the melody is supported by "eighties style" keyboards, with a sudden and fitting passage of - I think - violin.
Finally worth mentioning is the splendid "Siren Song" and especially "The Big Sleep", poignant and inspired, in which the voice of Scott Walker makes an appearance - not just anyone to appear in a cameo..

To conclude, in my opinion, we are witnessing the rise of a great talent..
There is not only the extraordinary voice of Natasha Khan behind Bat for Lashes.
There are ideas, melody, originality, and talent in industrial quantities.
Trust me.
You will see that, as happened to me, you will be captivated by the voice of this beautiful Anglo-Pakistani maiden so violently that you can no longer do without it.