Bat For Lashes - Fur and Gold

Genre pop Publisher Echo/Caroline External Links Official Bat For Lashes Website Official Caroline Records

There's no question Natasha Khan is deserving of praise for her debut album, recorded under her alter-ego Bat For Lashes, but as usual, the typically florid descriptions by the British press have built up the singer-songwriter to the point where people can be misled to believing she's more groundbreaking than she actually is. After all, a high-profile Glastonbury set and a Mercury Prize nomination will do that. That said, though, for all of Fur and Gold's more conventional moments, there are more than enough moments that convince us that Khan is well on her way to becoming one of the finest solo acts to come out of the UK in years.

You can pinpoint the female singer-songwriter influences all over the place, but Khan approaches each individual style with the confidence of a young artist determined to breathe new life into the genre: the gently pulsating "Trophy" evokes late-90s Bjork, the gentle harpsichord-like sounds and Khan's enigmatic character sketch on "Tahiti" is greatly reminiscent of Kate Bush, the gorgeous "Sad Eyes" reminds us of a less pretentious Sarah McLachlan, the murky "Sarah" totally smacks of PJ Harvey, while the beautifully minimal "Prescilla" draws from the passionate sounds of Tori Amos.

As satisfying as those songs are, it's when we get hints of Khan's real potential that the album elevates itself from competent to thrilling. "What's a Girl to Do" swipes the drums from Phil Spector's "Be My Baby" and adds a strong dose of melancholy, the enigmatic animal-themed poetry of "Bat's Mouth" and "Seal Jubilee" give the tasteful arrangements an idiosyncratic touch, while "Horse and I" is arguably the most impeccable blend of all of Khan's many influences. Appended with an absolutely haunting rendition of Bruce Springsteen's "I'm on Fire", this tantalizing album is enough to have us waiting with baited breath to see if the immensely talented Khan can take her music to another level.