I’d Marry That Voice: Part 3 – Bat For Lashes

This feature should never have posed much of a problem. I am an absolute sucker for vocals, and there are certainly numerous voices I would be happy to metaphorically tie the knot with. Unfortunately, my first choice, Mr Liam Frost, has been unceremoniously thieved by the Motel’s editor (Sorry! - Kate, Thieving Ed).

Cue many days of ponderous thought, until the solution to this problem stepped onto the stage at the Royal Northern College of Music and cast all doubt from my mind. She is Bat For Lashes (Natasha Khan to her nearest and dearest), and although she has been compared to the likes of Kate Bush and Cat Power, the reality is even more enchanting than a combination of the two.

Bat For Lashes' speaking voice is sweet and demure, but it is her vocal range that sets her apart from peers past and present. Trophy is enough to prove this, moving from gentle tones to those that are deep and intensely seductive, before soaring to confident and quite bewildering highs. Add to this the mournful solemnity of Sad Eyes, soft and breathtaking vocals backed by the slightest of piano chords, and the haunting, semi spoken vocals of Sarah, and you have a voice of such beauty that it has to be heard to be believed.

To find a singer who has the confidence to use both soft, peaceful tones and those with enough power to knock the breath right out from your chest, all the while inspiring a hushed silence from all those present, is a rare thing indeed. In short, you need Bat For Lashes in your life.

words: Hannah Bayfield

Bat For Lashes' debut album Fur and Gold is out now on Echo.

www.batforlashes.co.uk
www.myspace.com/batforlashes