Fur and Gold

Last updated

Fur and Gold
Bat for Lashes - Fur and Gold.png
Studio album by
Released11 September 2006 (2006-09-11)
Recorded2006
Genre Folktronica [1]
Length46:47
Label Echo, Manimal Vinyl
Producer
Bat for Lashes chronology
Fur and Gold
(2006)
Two Suns
(2009)
Singles from Fur and Gold
  1. "The Wizard"
    Released: 8 May 2006 [2]
  2. "Trophy"
    Released: 30 October 2006 [3]
  3. "Prescilla"
    Released: 12 March 2007 [4]
  4. "What's a Girl to Do?"
    Released: 9 July 2007 [5]

Fur and Gold is the debut studio album by English singer Bat for Lashes. It was released on 11 September 2006 by The Echo Label. It was met with critical acclaim and received a nomination for the 2007 Mercury Prize. In 2007, the album was re-released through Parlophone. Fur and Gold spawned the singles "The Wizard", "Trophy", "Prescilla", and "What's a Girl to Do?". In 2008, "What's a Girl to Do?" was re-released as a 12-inch vinyl with a remix featuring Scroobius Pip and Plaid. As of April 2009, Fur and Gold had sold 27,000 copies in United States. [6]

Contents

Music

Journalist Garry Mulholland wrote that singer Natasha Khan and producer David Kosten "reinvent Siouxsie / [Kate] Bush/ Björk mystical sex, musical travelogue and poetic dreamstate for the contemporary singer-songwriter milieu". [7] Magic described the song "What’s A Girl To Do?" as such: "starting with an original drumbeat of the Ronettes and embracing modernity in the form of a rudimentary drum machine, before returning to its 1960's trademarks with the help of a simple drum. Not to spoil anything, the chorus irremediably evokes the divine "Arabian Knights" of Siouxsie and the Banshees". [8]

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic 81/100 [9]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [10]
The A.V. Club B+ [11]
Entertainment Weekly A− [12]
The Guardian Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svg [13]
The Independent Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [14]
Los Angeles Times Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svg [15]
Pitchfork 6.5/10 [16]
PopMatters 7/10 [17]
Slant Magazine Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [18]
URB Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svgStar empty.svg [19]

Fur and Gold received widespread acclaim from music critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalised rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream publications, the album received an average score of 81, based on 15 reviews. [9]

Track listing

All tracks are written by Natasha Khan, except where noted

No.TitleLength
1."Horse and I"3:04
2."Trophy"4:00
3."Tahiti"3:38
4."What's a Girl to Do?"2:58
5."Sad Eyes"4:16
6."The Wizard"4:17
7."Prescilla"3:34
8."Bat's Mouth"4:25
9."Seal Jubilee"4:44
10."Sarah"3:56
11."I Saw a Light"6:24
US edition and iTunes Store bonus track [20] [21]
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
12."I'm on Fire" Bruce Springsteen 3:31

Personnel

Credits adapted from the liner notes of Fur and Gold. [22]

Musicians

  • Natasha Khan – vocals, string arrangements (all tracks); keyboards (tracks 1, 2, 4, 6, 9, 10); piano (tracks 3, 5–9, 11); percussion (tracks 1, 2, 4, 6, 7, 10); drums (tracks 2, 4, 6); Hammond organ (track 5); autoharp (track 7); guitar, vibraphone (track 9); sounds (track 11); harmonium (track 6)
  • Abi Fry – viola (tracks 1, 3, 8–11); string arrangements (all tracks)
  • Caroline Weeks – autoharp (track 3); backing vocals (tracks 3, 6, 8); guitar (tracks 6–8)
  • Mary Funnell – violin (track 8); string arrangements (all tracks)
  • Anna McInerney – violin (track 8); string arrangements (all tracks)
  • Tim Byford – drums (tracks 1, 4, 10, 11)
  • Josh T. Pearson – guitar (tracks 2, 11); backing vocals (tracks 2, 9); intro vocals (track 11)
  • Ben Christophers – bass, guitar (tracks 4, 6, 10)
  • Sophie Sirota – violin (tracks 1, 2, 8)
  • Howard Gott – violin (tracks 1, 2, 8)
  • Emma Ramsdale – harp (tracks 1, 4)
  • Tim Hutton – trumpet, trombone (track 10)
  • Rachael T. Sell – backing vocals (track 10)
  • Will Lemon – spoken word intro (track 11)
  • Mikee Goodman – vocal sea sounds (track 9)
  • David Kosten – keyboards (track 9); special foot taps (track 8); additional keyboards, programming (all tracks)

Technical

Artwork

Charts

Chart (2007)Peak
position
French Albums (SNEP) [23] 130
Scottish Albums (OCC) [24] 64
UK Albums (OCC) [25] 48

Certifications

RegionCertification Certified units/sales
United Kingdom (BPI) [26] Gold100,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

Release history

RegionDateEditionLabelRef.
United Kingdom11 September 2006Standard The Echo Label [27]
France2 July 2007 EMI [28]
United Kingdom16 July 2007Reissue Parlophone [29]
Australia27 July 2007Standard
  • Spunk
  • She Bear
[30]
United States31 July 2007 [20]
Germany2 November 2007EMI [31]

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References

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  3. "Bat for Lashes – Trophy (7")". Discogs. 30 October 2006. Retrieved 22 March 2009.
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  15. Cromelin, Richard (29 July 2007). "Druid rock. Cool. So what's next?". Los Angeles Times . Retrieved 8 April 2012.
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