Bat for Lashes - Horse & I

You're the chosen one

There's no turning back

"Horse and I" is what got me into Bat for Lashes, the stage name for Natasha Khan, a Pakistan-born artist & musician from England. Often clad in Native American inspired attire, it is unanimously agreed upon by bloggers that she sounds very Bjork-ish. During live performances she is accompanied by 3 other multi-instrumental female musicians. According to her bio on her website:

"It was whilst working as a nursery school teacher, following her university degree in film and music, that Fur and Gold album opener 'Horse & I' came to Natasha in a dream. Inspired by tales of Joan of Arc, Natasha is woken by a black horse at the window and sent on a fateful quest. This extraordinary dream became the muse for the songs that now comprise Fur and Gold."

That's almost as bad as Mars Volta's fourth album being inspired by a ouija board. But who am I to judge? Whether all of that is true or not is irrelevant I suppose. What counts is that her debut is a solid listen all the way through. And I'm not the only one who seems to think so. Apparently her fan base includes Devendra Banhart, Jarvis Cocker, and hey, even Bjork. Thom Yorke has "Horse and I" on his iTunes Top Ten Playlist and has said, "I love the harpsichord and the sexual ghost voices and bowed saws. This song seems to come from the world of Grimm's fairytales, and I feel like a wolf." ... What he said.