Bat For Lashes – Fur and Gold

Well, I thought this album was going to be quite upbeat, I don’t know why. I guess from ‘What’s a Girl To Do‘, I thought that was downbeat. This is a very mellow album. There are beautiful textures, the rhythmic side is there just not as full on as I had expected, very subtle and a great mixture of sounds. Combined with a beautifully, almost elegant voice, this album is a great listen and one that won’t bore over time.

The themes explored in the lyrics are often about love and all that lark, which, being a man can be a bit much but at the same time you get the message. You don’t even need to listen to what she’s saying, just listen to the music and the voice. It’s heartwarming and fascinating.

The album opens subtly with ‘Horse and I’ and never really lets up in it’s underhanded means of evoking passion and calm. There are of course the obvious radio friendly tracks that do try to break the mould but they only succeed in making this album more enjoyable. From my post the other day, ‘What’s a Girl To Do’ and ‘Prescilla’, are these tracks. Really catchy tunes with great melodies and brilliantly executed percussion. Now I’m not saying the percussion here is the best ever, it’s far from it in terms of virtuosity, but it’s perfect for the music. You really don’t notice how good it is unless you listen for it.

The piano work is on a par with the percussion, again it’s not mind blowing, but it’s perfect. It sits right between the percussion and Khan’s beautiful voice. This is highlighted on tracks such as ‘The Wizard’ and within a beautiful string arrangement on ‘Bats Mouth’, perfectly executed songs.

The album ends on a strange note though, almost psychadelic. It’s mostly soft piano and vocals but has a period of messy, noisy, screeching guitars and excited vocals.

I’ve been pleasantly surprised with this album, not what I was expecting at all. A brilliant debut, calm, emotional and beautifully crafted. Can’t wait to see the live performance tomorrow night, almost wish I was going tonight!

Bat for Lashes are supporting Radiohead on their European tour. Dates and venues can be found here.

~ by clemsound on June 6, 2008.