On her striking 2007 debut, FUR AND GOLD, British/Pakistani singer-songwriter Natasha Khan, aka Bat for Lashes, unveils a confident and eclectic set of indie-pop songs. Like a female counterpart to Irish Patrick Wolf, Khan gilds her tunes with lush, moody arrangements that heighten their drama and establish an ornate, goth-tinged atmosphere (see the urgent, harpsichord-led opening track, “Horse and I,” and “What’s a Girl to Do,” a haunting tale of heartbreak).

Recorded in London and Brighton, Natasha co-produced the album with David Kosten (Faultline). Recurrent themes of natural forces and animal kingdoms, rugged English cliff tops and engulfing oceans – highlighted on the lament ‘Seal Jubilee’, are juxtaposed by the energy of rough urban living, teenage bedrooms and the freedom of California highways. Josh T Pearson (Lift To Experience) guests, adding guitar and vocals on three tracks – the brooding live favorite ‘Trophy’, ‘Seal Jubilee’ and the finale ‘I Saw A Light’, adding the kind of hymns and chaos that only the son of a preacher could provide.

A fully formed first outing that garnered Khan a Mercury Prize nomination, FUR AND GOLD marks the arrival of a significant new U.K. talent, and will easily appeal to aficionados of emotive chamber-pop.

Professional Reviews
Entertainment Weekly (p.73) – “[H]er presence is undeniably bewitching….FUR is, indeed, gold.” — Grade: A-