Two Suns - Bat For Lashes

Rating - 7.2

Last week English songwriter Bat For Lashes (né Natasha Khan) made her second official release, Two Suns. Though it did not crack the Billboard 200 here in the states, she continues to have immense popularity and success (it debuted top 5 in most of Europe) overseas. Anyone who has heard Khan, however, knows why this is a significant observation as her sound is built upon all of the elements of successful indie acts of the last five years. Two Suns, and its ensuing US Tour, seem poised to bring Khan some mediocre praise ("The greatest female vocal indie record since The Reminder!"), but enthusiasts should feel uncomfortable with the fine line between artistic homage and high-brow song parody that Khan repeatedly toes.

Normally, I try to avoid name dropping other artists when reviewing an album, but with Khan it is nearly impossible to discuss her music without pointing out the frighteningly obvious influences she displays throughout Two Suns. There is the Cat Power neo-gospel of "Peace of Mind," the mid-90s Portishead of "Sleep Alone," the early Tori Amos piano ballad of "Moon and Moon," and the Scott Walker duet "The Big Sleep" which is eerily similar to that Bjork/Antony duet. The list goes on and on, and proves to yield the only, and I mean only, major issue with this album: If you are aware of those other artists then you have already heard this album!

To Khan's defense it is extremely difficult to create anything truly "new" these days, and to her credit she finds a way to connect the dots between her influences in a smooth, organic style. Perhaps the best example of this is the excellent first single, "Daniel." This track, which lays a cushion of atmosphere beneath Khan's distant but breathy vocal, suddenly starts to pulsate with a Kate Bush style kick and snare beat and finally ends up at the strongest, most endearing chorus of the album. And really, "Daniel" is the type of amalgamation of style and inspiration that the rest of the album lacks. She is close to crossing that barrier, the one where an artist becomes a contributor rather than an imitator. Fortunately, the distinction between the two is only as staggering as the listener wants it to be. For me, it's the difference between Coldplay and Radiohead, Santogold and M.I.A., and (sorry Natasha) Scott Walker and Antony Hegarty.

Listen to "Two Suns"