Bat For Lashes – Two Suns Review
Bat For Lashes is the stage name for Britain’s Nastasha Khan. I’m actually quite familiar with Bat For Lashes despite not being the biggest fan. I was a fan of the song and video – What’s A Girl To Do but I didn’t really like the album Fur and Gold (here’s a review in our site’s infancy).
Back then, I was very liberal with scores but I would say that Fur and Gold would get a 3 out of 5 at best from me – with the same mindset I have today. Part of the reason I think, is that Fur and Gold did not really cater to Khan’s skills as a frontwoman. Two Suns however actually accomplishes the correct usage of Khan.
I’ve heard a lot polarizing comments on this album, Pitchfork gave this album a good review, Jim from Quick Before It Melts liked the album (trusting his opinion more of course 
as well but there are a bunch of reviews disliking the album or are either very lukewarm to Bat For Lashes.
I can see where both sides are coming from. It’s an easy comparison, she does indeed sound like Cat Power and Feist but with the British sensibility of Kate Bush. The album especially is in a soft toned really allowing Khan to steal to the show so to speak. Yet, in another sense she’s sort of exposed lyrically. She isn’t as good as a writer as her influences no matter how much she sounds just like them. That’s part of the problem in my opinion, she sounds great but I can’t get that much into her. It isn’t as great as St. Vincent’s writing and both singers are comparable in terms of vocal quality.
To me Khan, doesn’t do anything unique or wild that her popularity would suggest. I’m doing more comparing to other artists then saying a lot about her natural ability. Lyrically, she didn’t do well in a faster higher paced setting in Fur and Gold. In Two Suns, she sings really well but lyrically – it’s slowed to a numbing pace. She doesn’t seem to mix the two all that well.
Still, there are upsides to this album. Top to bottom, the album remains consistent and serves a pretty good listen with subtle music in the background (tons of instruments being used). It also doesn’t take away that Khan can fool you into thinking songs are better then they are. Usually the last thing I look at with an album is lyrics so I doubt if you like a song, you’ll be bothered by some of the weaker moments (some of the writing does stick out to a point where I think I should read the liner notes – in a bad way).
Overall, I think this album is average. It could go either way. It isn’t great to any extent in my opinion but Natasha Khan is a solid talent out there and what can I say, deserving of her popularity. The album is in no way bad – just perhaps a little bit on the side of “having to be in the mood for it”.
Rating: 3.75 out of 5
(Other then Daniel, this album also lacks stand outs. Can’t really choose any favorites.)
Tags: album
See, I find this comparison to St Vincent interesting as it keeps popping up in several blogs & publications. Personally, I find Kahn much more engaging as a vocalist, but I don’t really think the two are all that similar, other than being ‘quirky’. I think Kahn could be more easily compared to someone like Fever Ray, whereas St Vincent is more in line with Feist or Cat Power.