Bat for Lashes New Album: Two Suns

Natasha Khan, the woman behind Bat for Lashes, manages to bridge the gap between the experimental sounds of Bjork and Fionna Apple and contemporary female singer-songwriters like Lykke Li, who add a dose of soul to otherwise inorganic production styles. Her vocal range is an astounding mix of emotive lows and piercing highs, earning her those comparisons to women like Bjork. Her melodies are also a bit more complicated, following more traditional than pop structures. The result is often eerie, yet powerful.

Musically Bat for Lashes brings together the lush, diversified sounds of the avant-garde composer with the cold minimalism of latter day electronic artists. The resulting songs are vivid soundscapes that offer Khan plenty of room to adventure vocally as they move between grandiose pieces of epic melodrama and stripped-down retreats into emotional unrest. Rhythmically her songs also seem to ignore typical, or straightforward beats, in favor of layered, and ultimately textured rhythms.

Two Suns seems to pick up where Khan's previous album, Fur and Gold, left off. She is still managing to mix her beautiful vocals with detailed instrumentation and programming to craft a haunting and sometimes otherworldly sound that will transport listeners into the realm of Bat for Lashes. This is headphone music at its finest, the sort of elegant and nuanced sound that deserves repeat listens and time to process.

First single "Daniel" starts simply with warm synth and a bit of digital shake before Kahn's voice and the organ hook kick in. It is immediately recognizable as a Bat for Lashes song thanks to its sweeping gestures and emotional weight. Then the song takes another turn when a simple dance beat bursts onto the track, suddenly propelling Kahn's woes into more pop-like territory. It's a surprising twist that pays off extremely well.

"Sleep Alone" carries listeners off to much different territory. Opening with a simple, repeating acoustic guitar riff and some slight background noise the song provides a sort of pastoral reprieve. Again the introduction of a drum beat, this time one with an echoing hip-hop flavor, adds complexity to the song, transforming it into a clash between nature and machine. One can almost picture an industrial skyline encroaching upon a secluded woodland area.

Elsewhere "Glass" is a fractured and moving ballad full of rolling drum thumps, percussive clangs, and bass rumble. It's a subdued and restrained sound that resonates with tension. The chorus breaks out a bit (especially vocally), but even this is still more groove-oriented than the near club-ready tracks elsewhere on the album.

Natasha Khan has earned a lot of praise for her eclectic and original sound over the past few years and Two Suns shows just why. This is complicated and beautifully executed music well worth an attentive listen.