“I will rise now…” sings Natasha Khan a.k.a. Bat for Lashes in the first few seconds of “Two Sun.” Rise she does.

She emerges through the reverb-drenched balladry as a paradoxically nakedly emotional singer-songwriter while at the same time maintaining an aura of mystery.


On the 11 songs that make up her sophomore album, Khan sings gorgeously about distant landscapes of emerald and crystal, burning pyres, fallen kingdoms and heartbreak over stark piano, lush string instruments and subtle electronics. It’s clear that much of the strange and evocatively fantastical imagery is metaphorical but one doesn’t have to understand the meaning behind the words to feel the pain and yearning in Khan’s voice.

The debut single, “Daniel,” is touching paean to Ralph Macchio’s character in “The Karate Kid,” Khan’s first childhood crush. In the grand tradition of Fleetwood Mac’s “Sara” and any number of Kate Bush songs, “Daniel” builds on its initial melancholia with distant guitar scrapes, a steady 4/4 beat and ghostly strings until Khan’s voice hits a peak on the liberating, sing-along chorus.

The piano-driven ballads “Moon and Moon” and “Siren Song” nearly match the catharsis of “Daniel,” while on “Traveling Woman,” she imparts wisdom to a woman lost in love (who may or may not be Khan) that we can all live by: “Never fall in love with potential/’cause you can see with your own eyes/All the pretty faces and sorry words/Can take away your pride.”

On “Two Suns” (“Star Wars” reference?) Khan distinguishes herself from like-minded female artists by drenching her work in a unique brand of murky, aural ephemera that never masks the powerful sentiment in the songs. This album probably won’t make you feel happy but it’s not a depressing album either; instead opting for a sort of middle ground of wistful reflection and hard to define nostalgia.

You’d be hard pressed to find another album this year that’s so sadly beautiful.

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