Post-It: Bat for Lashes… “Glass” is class

Bat For Lashes- Glass (Link 2)

First day back at school in the class of The Great English Eccentrics: at the front desks Wild Beasts are yodelling for attention with their hands in the air; at the back British Sea Power are tucking into their geography books and comparing notes on obscure birds; Patrick Wolf, swanning around in the middle of the floor in a  woman’s dress and make-up, is turning out lute-based belters. Arriving late to the lesson, dressed like a witch, comes Bat for Lashes, that slightly strange kid who everyone knows is smart but never quite gets the grades. Natasha Khan was supposed to be a shoe-in for the Mercury Music Prize last year, only for the Klaxons to crash the party with their Day-Glo debut. I never really got into Fur and Gold, but this new cut that precedes her forthcoming album Two Sons sounds increasingly essential, with Khan performing more and more like a real original.

Delve underneath the towering tribal drums and soaring chorus and there is an incredible reek of Kate Bush about this, particularly in lyrics which sound like they’ve been dug up from Camelot: “The hand of the watchman in the night sky/points to my beloved/a knight in crystal armour”. Ummm, okay.

When the song kicks in with multi-tracked vocals it sounds like it’s being beamed in from another world – god knows what the album will sound like, but this is music with a drama to it that very few acts can match at the moment (pending Patrick Wolf’s soon-to-arrive double album). Shine on you crazy diamond.

Ps If you get the chance, enjoy this cover of Bruce Springsteen’s “I’m on Fire”, which shouldn’t work but does.

Bat For Lashes- I’m On Fire (Bruce Springsteen Cover) (Link 2)

One Response to “Post-It: Bat for Lashes… “Glass” is class”

1. inquisitivelogic says:

   March 7, 2009 at 4:48 pm

   This album is amazing!