Album Review: Bat For Lashes - The Haunted Man

Having spent much of last year on a hugely successful world tour that included two sold-out shows at the Sydney Opera House, the enchanting Bat for Lashes is back with her third album, The Haunted Man. Taking on a more upbeat and bolder style than its predecessor, Two Suns, the new album shows a new side to singer Natasha Khan that is as magical and mesmerising as ever, but with a touch more oomph.

Opener, Lilies, features Khan's beautiful, angelic vocals that she does so well, but with a much more positive tone than on her usual ballads. Strings make for a strong lift in the chorus and her signature autoharp returns. All Your Gold is the standout track on this album, starting with an intro uncannily similar to Gotye's Somebody That I Used To Know, building to a catchy, poppy chorus that is as fantastically addictive as Daniel. The upbeat melody hides a sad story about the pain of a previous relationship as Kahn sings: “I let him take all my gold, and hurt me so bad/Now for you, I have nothing left”. There are, too, some traditional Bat for Lashes numbers here, like the tribal drumming of Horses Of The Sun, the enchanting melody of Rest Your Head and the chilled-out final track, Deep Sea Diver. Of course the album wouldn't be complete without a sprinkling of ballads about a solo protagonist, so the synth-heavy Marilyn and beautifully emotive Laura make a necessary appearance.

Perhaps the most interesting track on this album though is Oh Yeah, which features a funky beat and synths that really push Khan's style, whilst her ethereal voice comes over the top to pull it all together before a classic piano fades out to the end. The Haunted Man is a total triumph and arguably her best work to date.