Bat for Lashes

(Warning: I'm about to hype an album that's over a year old...)

Natasha Khan's band Bat for Lashes got some crazy blog hype a couple of months ago, when their 2006 album Fur & Gold got nominated for the Mercury Music Prize. Up until then, I hadn't heard enough of it to give it my approval, but now I can.

Sparse instrumentation, entrancing, atmospheric vocals - I like this description from Pitchfork: 'Fur & Gold shows a band quite good at giving their songs room to breathe and evolve, allowing the songs to expand out before snapping back into focus on Khan's expressive voice.'

Bat for Lashes was the favorite to win the Mercury Music Prize, but it went to the Klaxons instead. No comment on that one...

MP3: Bat for Lashes - The Bat's Mouth
MP3: Bat for Lashes - Horse and I

www.myspace.com/batforlashes