Bat For Lashes Two Suns Rating: 9.0 Label: Astralwerks Records Release: April 7, 2009

It’s always about a boy.

Sometime after the release of 2006’s Fur and Gold, Bat For Lashes’ Natasha Khan moved to Brooklyn, NY to be with her boyfriend, artist Will Lemon. Her former home in Brighton, England–being far removed from London’s scene–was high on insulation but low on collaboration (and low on Lemon) so her time in New York served as a musical education of sorts. Lemon exposed her, for better or worse, to Brooklyn’s thriving community of transplanted artists and musicians. The influence is noticeable throughout her latest release, Two Suns, which features bass and drum programming from Yeasayer’s Chris Keating and Ira Wolf Tuton.

But it’s Lemon that is literally all over the album, from the skin printing on the album’s cover (an art form she admits she became interested in through Lemon) and the album’s third track that bears his band’s name, Moon And Moon. The universe that Khan has created for her alter ego, Pearl, seems to be heavily influenced by Moon and Moon and their “musical/avant-theatre piece” VII Acts of an Iron King. Described as “seven perspectives of one king’s war with himself,” the piece even features Khan herself, lending a guest vocal as “The Queen” on the final act, opposite Lemon’s “Iron King.” The fantasy world of Two Suns is populated with very similar figures and structures: kings, castles, epic battles, ancient cities and celestial bodies.

Their relationship didn’t just provide thematic elements to her story; the Boy is now the Ex, and while Khan says the split was amicable, her sadness is painted all over the record. She laments that she now has to “Sleep Alone,” and wonders “where’s my bear to lick me clean?” on “Moon And Moon.” Khan recently told the FADER magazine that her relationship with Lemon was “absolutely the most inspiring and beautiful thing I’ve ever experienced,” and it shows; her maturation as an artist from Fur and Gold to her latest release is both obvious and significant.

Opener “Glass” begins with a stark, naked vocal, leaving an echo trail that will linger over the rest of the album. It’s a perfect example of Bat For Lashes’ sound; she uses natural, organic-sounding instruments to create a beautiful but decidedly unearthly sound. Khan describes her “musical landscape” as one that melds “ancient and modern, dark and night.” She tries to create layers of noise and lush sounds, but admits to the emotional intensity of her music. “The type of music we’re giving out is quite spiritual,” Khan told HIP Video. “It doesn’t come across well if you’re feeling bad about yourself.”

The record’s first single, “Daniel,” is by far the most upbeat and catchy tune on the record, and contends with “Glass” for the title of Two Suns’ best song. Keating and Tuton’s bass line and drums keep the track moving along, but it’s the dynamite timpani and Khan’s sweeping vocals that give the song its ethereal, spaced-out feel. In the (mostly cheesy) music video, she dons a cutoff red hoodie with her namesake branded across the back, struggling with shadow-like dancers trying to molest her as she flees into the arms of Mr. Karate Kid himself, Daniel LaRusso.

The album’s lone misstep, “Two Planets,” is aesthetically pleasing enough, but outside of the drums is mostly boring. In comparison to the bombast of some of the albums earlier tracks, it almost seems lazy. It’s a forgivable mistake, however, as other tracks more effectively co-opt the Yeasayer signature, and the rest of the album is so beautiful you’ll quickly forget its only dud.

Keating and Tuton’s influence is most distinct on the excellent “Pearl’s Dream,” whose killer staccato bass line and electronic hand clap-infused drum track sound like they were lifted from All Hour Cymbals outtakes. The track is the middle movement of an apparent three-song suite by alter ego Pearl, beginning with “Siren Song” and completing with “Good Love.” Pearl is a tortured soul who seeks comfort and shelter, but is hyper-aware of her inherent evil. Through Khan’s trembling voice, she sounds burdened with guilt. She wistfully sings that her “blond curls slice through your heart,” almost lamenting her heartbreaker status.

But Pearl was not meant to last, and Khan lays her to rest on the album’s final track, a Scott Walker duet that is not soon forgotten. The piano on “The Big Sleep” is mic’d to create an eerie, haunting sound evoking Webber-ian notions of “The Phantom of the Opera.” It complements veteran crooner Walker’s brief but memorable cameo, and serves as a mellow but satisfying bookend for the album.

But despite the grand operatic ambitions of her concept, the songs are probably more enjoyable when not worrying about where and when Pearl passed “Good Love Town” on the road (hint: it was in a dream). Magicians and emerald cities dominate not all of Two Suns’ eleven tracks; the more straitlaced listeners should appreciate the simple beauty of her voice and piano accompaniment. But for the dreamers who occasionally lose their heads in the clouds, Khan’s naïve hope and imagination will certainly resonate. Shortly after the piano intro to “Travelling Woman,” somewhere around the time she warns us to “never fall in love with potential,” you may just realize it’s too late.

Related article: Bat For Lashes – Daniel [Music Video Review]

Written by: Matthew Ismael Ruiz on April 7th, 2009 | Filed under Music Reviews, Music Video Reviews