Despite the title, Natasha Khan’s, a.k.a Bat for Lashes, fourth studio album The Bride is not a traditional love story. The album begins with a cryptic tragedy and the crux of the narrative, a soundtrack for a yet-to-be made film, is her careening in and out of the emotions that follow. But the highlight is not the many shades of sorrow, but rather the way in which Khan transforms love into an abstract.
The instrumentation on The Bride — out-of-tune strings, spacious synth work — adds a notable atmosphere to the narrative, creating a mood that is dramatic without being overstated. Khan then reevaluates the tragedy through a series of emotive snapshots, sometimes soft and tender other times reckless and out of control. But it’s all in stride as Khan is embracing the perfectly imperfect nature of love. So go five lyrics that capture the wild ride of love and love lost.
‘I Do‘
The album opens with blossoming hymnals, creating feelings of joy and tranquility. The soft melodies trickle in like a stream meandering though a sunny meadow, which leaves the soul feeling mild and content. Yet somewhere in her voice is a brooding sense of doom, a dark force on the horizon. The storm is coming and the feeling is electric:
‘Honeymooning Alone‘
A blood curdling car wreck ushers in what is supposed to be their honeymoon, so instead of peaches and cream she gets a heaping dose of heartache and sorrow. The memory of her love is permanently tattooed on her mind and she’s reeling. What’s notable, however, is that despite the macabre emotions the feeling of love is palpable, even stronger in the face of tragedy:
‘In Your Bed‘
Like an adolescent with a schoolgirl crush, she’s hopelessly fantasizing about her prince charming. The instrumentation is sparse and minimal, which allows her voice to carry on unimpeded. She’s stripping herself bare, and being as intimate and vulnerable as possible. You can almost hear the tears streaming down her cheeks:
‘I Will Love Again‘
Love is taking on an abstract form and she’s looking to move forward, hoping that she can recreate the passion. It’s a tad superficial, but then again what young love doesn’t have an unhealthy dose of infatuation, however fleeting it may be. Romance is fickle, but she’s digging deep to get past the pain and on to greener pastures:
‘Clouds‘
Rain is a welcome respite as it matches her inner turmoil. She finds the melodrama refreshing and it matches the prevailing mood of the album. It’s over the top and laced with the type of potent emotion that we’ve come to expect from Khan. She’s taking a snapshot of the pain, and we all know what comes after the rain; the warm, tender sun:
