Bat For Lashes - 'Two Suns' (Parlophone) Released 06/04/09

It took a re-dressing of the scales of sanity to award Elbow the latest Mercury prize after the Klaxons nabbed what ought to have been Bat For Lashes crown for her 2007 debut 'Fur And Gold'. A wonderland of piano balladry, Natasha Khan's falsetto and primal beats, 'Fur And Gold' further earned two Brit nominations and everyone from the Guardian (naming her one of 2007's women of the year) to Radiohead (with whom she toured) were touting her talents. 'Two Suns' is a far more complex work of imagination and stellar invention for which Natasha Khan has created a coquettish alter-ego by the name of Pearl to navigate the chambers of the heart and the celestial skies. It's a work of myth-making and flaming hearts running in the dark, queens and crystal princes, stars explode and galaxies are born. It's metaphysical, alchemical and packed with a whole lot of good tunes.
 
Looks like Natasha has taken a certain cue from that sexy and incongruent Biblical work that is The Book Of Soloman and married celestial themes of the impossibility of two hearts finding union, or two planets coming together. The dualities at work are thematic, man and woman, the self and shadow, Pearl and her conquests countered by Natasha's spiritual and romantic longing, while musically there's the ancient tribal beat with the modern sensibility framed by Natasha's spectral falsetto. Yeasayer pop with bass and percussive support, and the legendary Scott Walker further adds to Natasha's ambitious scope.
 
The tribal opener 'Glass' finds Natasha singing intergalactic of "...a 1000 crystal towers, a 100 emerald cities..." giving birth the album concept of two archetypal lovers, and it's the high notes that really shine among the chimes and tribal drums. On the single 'Daniel', Natasha sings "....and when the fires came, the smell of cinders and rain...", a poppy work of kosmik disko à la Empire Of The Sun as a sexy working of electric violin and vocal overdubs are strapped to the beats and bones of a mythic love song. While the Moogish-toned 'Good Love' has cheesy backing singing of hearts going up in flames, Natasha sings of magicians and scatters enough star dust to make it credible and whoopee.