Bat for Lashes

Natasha Khan’s greatest talent is also her Achilles’s heel. The singer, whose last three albums under the stage name Bat For Lashes have been huge hits, is the personification of flexibility. That might score points with the Department of Employment, but it’s a questionable asset here.

CD | Bat for Lashes ●●
The Haunted Man pop (Parlophone/EMI)

Khan is easily the English Siren of the moment. Blessed with a larynx that reaches Kate Bush’s heights and is often reminiscent of Annie Lennox, she has a better sense of measure than her contemporaries. Her most bombastic turns are curbed, and frilly or gothic ostentation are avoided. Khan knows that she comes into her own with balanced, lightly orchestrated synth pop that is not too overcrowded. Only once does she get lost in a forest of Björkesque twists (we think the male choir in “Oh Yeah” is over the top), but in “Rest Your Head” she allies a diminutive intro with great melodrama to elegant singing parts and feverish rhythm. The powerful “All Your Gold” is propelled by an entrancing, efficient beat. The album is well made, but occasionally lacks a beating heart. Impressive guests (Beck, Adrian Utley, Rob Ellis) or a songwriter borrowed from Lana Del Rey can’t even gloss that over.

29/11, 20.00, SOLD OUT!, Ancienne Belgique