What's a girl to do

I'd be lying if I didn't say that when flipping through the pages of Fader about a month ago that a picture of this gorgeous girl with extremely unique make-up didn't strike my attention. But it did, and it eventually led to me discover what I believe is arguably one of the more unique artists that i have heard in quite sometime. Natasha Kahn, aka Bat For Lashes, is the artist and last night marked my first chance to see her perform live. Her music can be called mysterious in every sense. With arrangments that are quite unique and lyrics that invite one into a fantasy world where it feels like you are a child being told mythical stories. With a voice that at times reminds one of Bjork, Natasha Kahn maintains her own style music and has a stage presence that makes it quite difficult to take your eyes off.

But beyond the voice, the lyrics, the several instruments she plays, Bat For Lashes consists of 3 other very talented female artists (Ginger Lee, Abi Fry, & Lizzie Carey) that perfectly compliment Natasha. On a personal note, I would not be surprised if this Natasha and her ensemble continues to build momentum and buzz (which they truly deserve) and one day finds themselves opening for the band I consider to be the wholy grail of rock bands in this day and age, Radiohead.

-Jaime W.

***Usually when Jaime and i venture out to a show together one of us decides who is going to write a review the next day, but after experiencing Bat For Lashes i couldn't help but add a few comments. Natasha and her band cast a spell with spooky, tingly music that is a combination of tambourine, bells, accordian, morraccas, egg shakers, and violin creating music that is eeriely stunning; be-witching the audience completely. I really loved the bells, chimes and her use of the tambourine on every track, for it was the first time i have seen an artist pay such attention to the extra spirited element these overlooked instruments create. I enjoyed the soft feminine vibe these ladies generated calming the audience-yet leaving them wanting more at the close of the show. For those of you who don't have plans on Wednesday night-Knitting Factory is the place to be.***

-Sheryl W.
Bat For Lashes-Trophy.mp3
Bat For Lashes- Prescilla.mp3 (they closed with this track, which happens to be my favorite!!)
Bat For Lashes Tags

New Cure Tribute Album and the latest from Bat for LAshes

Robert Smith has written some of the best love lullabies during his lengthy career that continue to be covered by some of the most talented artists out there. The latest Cure Tribute record, Perfect as Cats: A Tribute To The Cure comes out on October 28th via Manimal Vinyl records. Amongst the artists featured on the album is one of my loves, Natasha Kahn of Bat for Lashes. The beautifully enchanting songstress recently toured with none other than Thom Yorke during Radioheads' European run. Lemon Sun, Dandy Warhols, Voyager One and Ich Bin Aiko.

DISC 1

Xu Xu Fang “Fascination Street”
Bat For Lashes “A Forest”
Hecuba “Killing An Arab”
Astrid Quay (of Winter Flowers) “The Caterpillar”
Indian Jewelry “The Walk”
Rainbow Arabia “Six Different Ways”
We Are The World “Why Can’t I Be You?”
blackblack “In Between Days”
Rio en Medio “Pictures of You”
Gangi “Fire In Cairo”
Joker’s Daughter “Kyoto Song”
Aquaserge with Laure Briard “10.15 Saturday Night” (in French)
The Muslims “Grinding Halt”
Voyager One “M”
Ex-Reverie “The Hanging Garden”
Caroline Weeks (of Bat For Lashes) “The Drowning Man”
Devastations “All Cats Are Gray”

DISC 2

The Dandy Warhols “Primary”
Veil Veil Vanish “The Upstairs Room”
Wolkfin (ex-Junior Senior) “Charlotte Sometimes”
Army Navy “Jumping Someone Else’s Train”
Ich Bin Aiko “A Strange Day”
Lemon Sun “The Exploding Boy”
Corridor “The Kiss”
Katrine Ottosen (CALLmeKAT) “The Love Cats”
Silver Summit “A Night Like This”
Mariee Sioux “Love Song”
Kaki King “Close To Me”
Buddy “Sugar Girl”
Les Bicyclettes Blanches “Hot Hot Hot!”
Tara Busch “Let’s Go To Bed”
Jesu “The Funeral Party”
Sarabeth Tucek “Three Imaginary Boys”
Lewis & Clarke “Disintegration”

Bat For Lashes-A Forest.mp3
Bat For Lashes Tags
The Cure Tags

Bat For Lashes announces new tour dates!

Bat for Lashes is a band to mark down on your calendars before she is playing Webster Hall. Trust me, it is music to be enjoyed while you can still catch it in a small room. Jaime and i were completely intoxicated her hauntingly moody music and mystical live performance.
***Bat for Lashes TOUR DATES***
August 26th: Rock en Seine, Paris
September 1st: Connect Festival, Inveraray
September 2nd: Electric Picnic, Stradbally
September 9th: Bestival, Isle of Wight 2:30pm Main Stage.
September 23rd: Johnny Brenda's - Philadelphia PA
September 24th: Great Scott - Boston MA
September 25th: Bowery Ballroom - New York NY
September 28th: El Macambo - Toronto ON
Septmber 29th: Petit Campus - Montreal QC
October 1st: The Basement - Columbus OH
October 2nd: Empty Bottle - Chicago IL
October 3rd: Varsity Theatre - Minneapolis MN
October 5th: Larimer Lounge - Denver CO
October 9th: Troubadour - Los Angeles CA
October 11th: Slim's - San Francisco CA
October 13th: Plaza Club - Vancouver BC
October 14th: Crocodile Cafe - Seattle WA
October 15th: Doug Fir Lounge - Portland OR
October 29th: KOKO, London
Bat for Lashes-Sarah.mp3
Bat for Lashes Tags

Bat For Lashes videocast

Instead of posting a review of last nights' show at the Bowery i wanted to post some live videos. Her music is such a physical experience. I love this video because she explaining her album and music making process. Along with live clips of her bandmates it perfectly captures the theme of magic that she owns completely.

Bat For Lashes
Bat For Lashes-Trophy.mp3
Bat For Lashes-Sad Eyes.mp3
Bat For Lashes Tags

Mercury Prize Nominees Announced

Wow...this is quite the list! Hopefully this will help to spread the love for Maps, Bat for Lashes, and New Young Pony Club on this side of the pond. There have been so many brilliant albums to come out of the UK this year, should make for an interesting outcome! The winner shall be announced in September during a reception at London's Grosvenor House Hotel.
****Nominees****
Arctic Monkeys - 'Favourite Worst Nightmare'
Klaxons - 'Myths Of The Near Future'
Amy Winehouse - 'Back To Black'
Maps - 'We Can Create'
The View - 'Hats Off To The Buskers'
Jamie T - 'Panic Prevention'
Dizzee Rascal - 'Maths & English'
Bat For Lashes - 'Fur And Gold'
Young Knives - 'Voices of Animals And Men'
Fionn Regan - 'The End Of History'
New Young Pony Club - 'Fantastic Playroom'
Basquiat Strings - 'Basquiat Strings'
Maps-You Don't Know Her Name.mp3
Bat for Lashes-Horse and I.mp3
New Young Pony Club-Ice Cream (Herve Goes Bananas Remix).mp3
Arctic Monkeys-Teddy Picker.mp3
Klaxons- Hall Of Records.mp3
Dizzee Rascal-Paranoid.mp3
Amy Winehouse-Just Friends.mp3

Numbers, numbers, numbers- they can be fun

one more time-let's celebrate! (cred)-the photo i wanted to use was removed, so please click link-excellent celebratory shots
Apparently winning prizes and having an iPod can help your album sales. Go figure! Maybe the record industry isn't dead afterall...maybe it should just change it's marketing concept. Either way i am happy to report these recent figures surrounding some of the most talented artists of the year. They all are incredibly deserving of the acclaim and attention.

*"Sales of Klaxons’ debut album have risen by an incredible 486% since they won the Mercury Music prize on Tuesday night."

*"Fionn Regan who’s album saw a 212% rise in sales on Wednesday, Bat For Lashes (up 185%), Maps (up 150%) and Amy Winehouse (up 50%)." Story continues...

*After iPod debuted it's latest video iPod commercial featuring the talented Feist Google released these figures.
~Searches for 'Feist' up 165%
~Searches for iPod up 350%

Curious to see if it helps ticket sales as well. Bat For Lashes (at Bowery Ballroom tonight) and Maps (at the Mercury Lounge this Friday) are still available! Come on...don't you want to play the numbers game too?
Fionn Regan-Put A Penny In The Slot.mp3
Maps-To The Sky.mp3
Mercury Prize Tags

Bonbi Forest

So while the rest of the nYC blogging community has been discovering Bat For Lashes this week i have discovered Lee May Forster, the lady who was inspired to do the artwork for their website and merch. I am in LOVE. All of the mystical images of bats and unicorns. So lovely. Definitely check out her website. Very creative.
Bat For Lashes Tags

After all of this is all said and done, who would you rather be?

One day last week I was walking to work loving Neko Cases' latest album and had the realisation that thus far 2009 is so the year of the vicious lady-singer. Sorry boys, but it totally is. Think about it. We have new music from all of the following vixens who could toss and trounce you in about two seconds flat: Yeah Yeah Yeahs (Karen O), Ladyhawke, Lily Allen, Neko Case, Bat for Lashes, Lady Sovereign, Emmy the Great and my personal favorite: Metric. Now Metric has a little spitfire as a vocalist that you might happen to recognize the name of, Emily Haines. She only was part of the one and only great, Broken Social Scene that broke off into super group after super group. Maybe that is where Emily gained her superhero powers. This latest Metric album could be the soundtrack for any girl who is going through anything that is even the slightest bit frustrating or disheartening. Plug a little Emily Haines into your Ipod and everything you come across will be a little bit easier to deal with. Which is a feat it it's own right. If you watch the video posted below of Emily touring Argentina she is simultaneously frighteningly fragile yet strong as steel. Admitting to her fears and her deepest desires for her art which she holds closer than a second skin we realize what it is that draws us to her as both a front woman and as a feminine presence. She is the girlfriend you would go to for advice but also hold in your arms if she needed them. Listening to her talk to you just know she is destined for great things. Beyond what she and her bands have already done. Emily Haines is a lady for the history books. You follow her wistful gaze as she looks over Buenos Aries and you feel it in your heart. She has wisdom beyond her years and though she might not feel it strength to last the ages. This new Metric album is stellar. Catchy and spewing with pop it is also classy and brazen. The album will be released on April 7th by the band itself and will be available for digital download on March 31st. If you visit the bands website you will also see a ton of pre-released packages and free gifts for ordering early. Keep an eye out for tour dates sometime late spring and into the summer.

Metric-Collect Call.mp3

Look, all I know is that you're the nicest thing I've ever seen

Sadly this is not from last night-nifty neon signs must not be easy to transport
'Yeah you make me merry, you make me very very happy...so i learnt from you.' Kate Nash is on the verge of captivating your complete attention. Armed with carefully etched lovesick songs that are so sweetly intimate they secretly make you remember precious past melancholy moments. You could compare Kate to Regina Spektor: spirited innocence with feminine musical strength. Or maybe Lily Allen: youthful British salt and lip (yes yes- i know she is sick of these comparisons). Or how about Feist: ladylike and armed with fierce ballads representing the best in love and life backed up by pure musical talent. Kate is a girl who was on the path towards trying to be an actress before she stumbled and broke her foot, and we are the lucky ones for her fate. Instead of cancelling her Luna Lounge show  (visa issues?) she decided the show must go on. Hey, it is New York after all. Ahem, Brooklyn. Kate and her band performed a free show to an audience mixed with people who obviously knew her songs and those curious enough to venture out. Feeling her way through a set stacked with, 'Merry Happy,' 'Foundations,' 'Birds,' 'Nicest Thing' she cleverly crafted a 'story' for those in attendance. Admitting to nerves she slowly thawed away her layers of worry and charmed us with wishes of laying out a blanket and handing out cups of tea for her encore, 'Little Red.' I really enjoyed how she constructed her set as a sort of story time amongst her dearest friends. It was the best way to debut her songs and herself to an American audience. With lyrics that read like secret love letters or conversations between girlfriends Kate is immediately endearing and intimate without losing that unique blend of tenderness and spirit. I overwhelmingly recommend her music and her live performance. It is rather inspiring to experience the amount of feminine talent floating around these days. Bat For Lashes,  Kate Nash, Feist, Amy Winehouse, Cat Power, Grace Potter-gone are the days of complaining about manufactured saccharine sweet pop stars. Thank goodness for that. For those checking out her two shows at Joe's Pub tonight you are in for a real treat. Those of you looking for something to do, come to Bowery and check out Natasha and company!
Kate Nash-Little Red.mp3
Kate Nash-Merry Happy.mp3
Kate Nash-Nicest Thing.mp3
Kate Nash Tags

Skeleton Swoon

Today is the day to post about creepy music. Whereas everyone seems to think Vampires are trendy I have always been into them. Growing up with an older sister who was fascinated by Anne Rice and had a crush on Robert Smith you either became a follower or you spent your time being scared of things that were frequently surrounding you. Then there is the whole aspect of being a major science geek and wondering about aliens...which leads to ghosts...you tend to like things that freak you out. It is healthy. It is fun. It makes you feel alive.

Matador's latest signing of Esben and The Witch is perfect background music for a cold November night when you are walking down a deserted street with dead curled leaves scraping the ground, crawling their way back to a semblance of life with their veins holding them together before the first winter snowfall. The track, "They Use Smiles To Bury You" echoes like a beseeching call down an empty corridor...lonely, scared and sad. They will be journeying stateside in October, first playing Bowery Ballroom on October 1st and then The Knitting Factory on October 26th. Sure to be a band to keep track of they are bound to draw compliments for being similar to Bat For Lashes and The XX.

Visit their Myspace for a fairy tale depicting the characters that outline the band's name:

"Sir Red now told the king that the brothers could bring him a lamp which could shine over seven kingdoms. Esben asked his brothers this time for a bag of salt. For this task Esben had to enter the witches home, he entered secretly by the chimney. He crept about the decaying house but could not find the lamp which the witch guarded carefully. Esben hid in the baking oven and waited. The witch called to her daughter and demanded some porridge with no salt added, Esben emptied his bag into the porridge slyly when it was left unattended. The hag complained and had her daughter make more; she found though that they needed more water. The daughter requested the lamp from the witch so she could go out in the gloomy forest to fetch more. Esben followed her to the well, pushed her in and stole the lamp."

Definitely something to enjoy as August unwinds and heads into my most favorite season of all. Fall.

****Esben and The Witch Tour Dates****
SEPTEMBER
5--Offset Festival--London, UNITED KINGDOM
23--7th Street Entry--Minneapolis, MN
24--Lincoln Hall--Chicago, IL
25--Magic Stick--Detroit, MI
27--Lee's Palace--Toronto, ON
28--La Sala Rosa--Montreal, Quebec
29--Paradise Rock Club--Boston, MA
3--First Unitarian Church--Philadelphia, PA
OCTOBER
1--Bowery Ballroom with The Foals--New York, NY
3--Palms Casino Resort--Las Vegas, NV
5--Masquerade--Atlanta, GA
6--Club Downunder--Tallahassee, FL
8--Walter's on Washington--Houston, TX
9--The Mohawk--Austin, Texas
10--The Nightmare--Dallas, TX
12--Larimer Lounge--Denver, CO
14--Casbah--San Diego, Ca
18--El Rey Theatre--Chico, CA
19--The Blank Club--San Jose, CA
20--Bottom Of The Hill--San Francisco, CA
21--Doug Fir Lounge--Portland, OR
22--Venue--Vancouver, BC
23--Neumos City Arts Music--Seattle, WA
26--The Knitting Factory--Brooklyn, NY
NOVEMBER
4--La Boule Noir--Paris, France
10--Electrowerkz--London, UK
11--The Deaf Institute--Manchester, UK
12--Captain's Rest--Glasgow, Scotland
14--Leeds University--Leeds, UK
*Esben and The Witch Tags

TV on The Radio @ McCarren

check out more photos and another review!
Oh what a week! Bat For Lashes on Monday, White Stripes on Tuesday, David Vandervelde on Wednesday, & Sonic Youth on Saturday. One would think at this point I would have had my fill of live music.....but oh no, Sunday was Tv On The Radio playing a free show at McCarren Park and Pool and I was not missing it! If I recall correctly, last year this band put one of the top 3 albums of 2006 (if not the best album of 2006). The day, which seemed to be on everyone's calendar, seemed no longer to be a top priorty once the weather appeared to be pretty nasty. With the dropping of people attending the show, I still managed to find 3 friends down for the show and what do you know, it didn't even rain! The only thing people were covered in was sweat from the heat and the blistering sounds of Tv On The Radio! Once the band hit the stage at about 6:00 PM sharp the flood of people made their way to the front and the pool was pretty crowded yet comfortable. The band opened with "Wash The Day" which is what everyone was pretty much feeling from being out for part of the day in the rain and it just seemed to be a perfect way to get things going. The set consised of material of both of their LP's. Tracks I remember off the top of my head are "Dirtywhirl", "I Was a Lover", "The Wrong Way", "Staring At The Sun", "Dreams", "Province", "A Method", "Hours", "Let The Devil In", and without a doubt a full fledge rocking version of "Wolf Like Me." The set also had plenty of guests which assisted on vocals and an assortment of instruments.

cred
One of the coolest sites was the little girl on stage for the set closer of "Satellite" who was playing a shaker and watching Kyp get down on his knees in front of her while he was playing guitar and them both just staring at a each other. Anyhow, this was just a simply great show and what a way to end a killer week of live music. I do want to note that it was mighty cool of TV On The Radio to do this free show considering they could have easily charged $35.00 a ticket and most likely even sold out....but I guess it's just the way a cool band is willing to say thanks to their hometown crowd.
Dreams.mp3

-Jaime W.

Bat For Lashes - Whats a Girl To Do

A lovely singer backed up by a bit of BMX biking in animal suits? Perfect. For fans of Donnie Darko, Fiery Furnaces, The Pierces, and....what do you think?

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

Michael Jackson-Thriller Cover.mp3
Zombie Ghost Train-Graveyard Queen.mp3
Vampire Weekend-A-Punk.mp3
Band of Thieves-Woman.mp3
Arctic Monkeys-If You Were There, Beware.mp3
And You Will Know Us By The Trail Of Dead-Witches Web.mp3
A Place To Bury Strangers-To Fix The Gash In Your Head.mp3
Animal Collective-Fickle Cycle.mp3
Bat For Lashes-The Wizard.mp3
Birdmonster-No Midnight (live acoustic).mp3
Black Lips-Cold Hands.mp3
Aphex Twin-Logon Rock Witch.mp3
Born Ruffians-Knife (Cover).mp3
Cat Power-Werewolf.mp3
Cemetry Love Club-Cold Cold Heart.mp3
Chills-Pink Frost.mp3
Creature-Pop Culture.mp3
Wax Fang-New Violence.mp3

Bat For Lashes - Trophy

Even this was from her show at Maxwells back in July it gives you a bit of an idea of just how enchanting their overall performance is live. Trophy happens to be my favorite track and watching her perform it live makes the song come alive with such brilliant frevor. Enjoy.