Natasha Khan, aka Bat For Lashes, opens up her second album Two Sons in a superbly dark and dramatic fashion. (Which is the way you should do it when said album features guest vocals from Scott Walker -- he's on the closer "The Big Sleep.") For now, we're looking at the opener, "Glass." It begins with Khan's voice naked except for some tastefully reverberant echoes and the slow clime of background strings and other voices before a patch of tribal percussion -- think, maybe, of Brian Chippendale on "Dull Flame Of Desire," but in less cannibalistic mode -- and then the rest of the ensemble (organs, guitars, a nice bit of noise) create a massive, chilly swell. When Khan kicks into high gear toward the 3/4 mark (wait until the 3:30) you wouldn't be wrong to evoke the Cranberries. (In the best way possible, of course.) She will arise now and go about the city:
UPDATE: Live version from the Radiohead tour...
Bat For Lashes - "Glass" (Live In Nimes 2008) (MP3)
Two Sons is out 4/6 via Astralwerks.
