Two Suns

Two Suns
Studio album by Bat for Lashes
Released 6 April 2009 (2009-04-06)
Recorded 2008
Genre Dream pop, baroque pop
Length 45:01
Label Parlophone
Producer David Kosten,[1] Natasha Khan,[2] Yeasayer[3]
Bat for Lashes chronology
Fur and Gold
(2006)		 Two Suns
(2009)
Singles from Two Suns
  1. "Daniel"
    Released: 1 March 2009 (Digital download); 6 April 2009 (7")
  2. "Pearl's Dream"
    Released: 22 June 2009[4]
  3. "Sleep Alone"
    Released: 7 September 2009[5]
Alternative cover
Special Edition
Professional ratings
Review scores
Source Rating
Allmusic [6]
The Boston Globe (unfavourable) [7]
The Daily Telegraph [8]
Drowned in Sound (8/10) [9]
The Guardian [10]
The Independent [11]
NME (8/10) [12]
Pitchfork Media (8.5/10) [13]
Robert Christgau (C) [14]
Rolling Stone [15]
Slant [16]
Spin [17]

Two Suns is the Mercury Music Prize nominated second album by English-Pakistani solo artist Bat for Lashes (pseudonym of Natasha Khan), released on 6 April 2009.[18] It is the follow-up to the also Mercury Music Prize nominated album Fur and Gold.

According to the press release, Two Suns is "a record of modern-day fables exploring dualities on a number of levels – two lovers, two planets, two sides of a personality," bringing reflection about "the philosophy of the self and duality, examining the need for both chaos and balance, for both love and pain, in addition to touching on metaphysical ideas concerning the connections between all existence."[2]

In Two Suns, Khan also presents an alter ego named Pearl, described by the press release as "a destructive, self-absorbed, blonde, femme fatale of a persona who acts as a direct foil to Khan's more mystical, desert-born spiritual self."[2]

The first single from the album, released on 1 March 2009, is "Daniel". Two Suns was recorded in segments in California, New York, London, Brighton and Wales.[2]

It was co-produced by Khan and Dave Kosten, her collaborator on Fur and Gold, and features collaborations with members of Yeasayer on various tracks and Scott Walker on the final track.[19] The whole album was available for listening at the Last.fm website.[20]

Contents

Reception

Both "Sleep Alone [909s In The Darktimes Mix]" and "Siren Song" were featured in "The Vampire Diaries" but only "Sleep Alone [909s In The Darktimes Mix]" is on "The Vampire Diaries Original Television Soundtrack" Two Suns received generally favorable reviews. The album holds a score of 76 out of 100 on the review aggregator website Metacritic.[21] Two Suns was placed on Slant Magazine's list of best albums of the 2000s at number 97.[22]

Track listing

All songs written and composed by Natasha Khan, except where noted. 

No. Title Length
1. "Glass"   4:32
2. "Sleep Alone"   4:02
3. "Moon and Moon"   3:08
4. "Daniel"   4:11
5. "Peace of Mind"   3:28
6. "Siren Song"   4:58
7. "Pearl's Dream"   4:45
8. "Good Love"   4:29
9. "Two Planets"   4:47
10. "Travelling Woman"   3:46
11. "The Big Sleep" (featuring Scott Walker) 2:55
Deluxe Edition bonus tracks
No. Title Writer(s) Length
12. "Wilderness" (iTunes & Deluxe Edition bonus track)   3:59
13. "Sleep Alone" (909s in DarkTimes Mix)   4:32
14. "Daniel" (Lo-Fi Version)   4:01
15. "A Forest"   Gallup, Hartley, Smith, Tolhurst 3:16
16. "Use Somebody" (Lo-Fi Version) C. Followill, J. Followill, M. Followill, N. Followill 2:29
17. "Good Love" (Live at Shepherd's Bush Empire, 19 April 2009 - Dix Alternative Mix)   5:20
18. "Daniel" (Live on the Radiohead tour, Nimes, 14 June 2008)   4:22
19. "Lonely" (Live at Koko, 29 October 2007) Waits 3:56

DVD (Deluxe Edition)

Two + Two (Bat for Lashes documentary film)

Charts & Certifications

Charts

Chart (2009) Peak
position
German Albums Chart 4
UK Albums Chart 5
Irish Albums Chart 17
European Top 100 Albums 21[23]
Belgian Albums Chart (Flanders) 26
Greek Albums Chart 29
Finnish Albums Chart[24] 39
French Albums Chart 56
Belgian Albums Chart (Wallonia) 74
Italian Albums Chart[25] 85
Swiss Albums Chart 94
Australian Albums Chart[26] 95
US Billboard 200 141[27]
US Billboard Comprehensive Albums 156[28]
US Billboard Top Heatseekers 2[29]

Certifications & Sales

Region Certification Sales/shipments
France 15,000*
Germany 25,000^
Italy 3,000*
United Kingdom (BPI)[30] Gold 100,000^
US 10,000

^shipments figures based on certification alone
xunspecified figures based on certification alone

Release history

Region Date Label Format Catalogue
Germany 3 April 2009 EMI CD 693 0202
United Kingdom 6 April 2009 Parlophone 695 7802
LP 693 0191
France EMI CD 693 0202
United States 7 April 2009 Astralwerks ASW 93020
United Kingdom 7 September 2009 Parlophone CD+DVD 685 6662
United States 3 November 2009 Astralwerks 5099930789722
Brazil 23 January 2010 EMI CD 5099969302022

References

  1. ^ "Bat For Lashes announces new album plans and tour dates". NME. 9 January 2009. http://www.nme.com/news/bat-for-lashes/41983. Retrieved 15 January 2009. 
  2. ^ a b c d "Bat for Lashes:Two Suns (New album)". http://www.prefixmag.com/reviews/bat-for-lashes/two-suns/25172/. Retrieved 20 March 2009. 
  3. ^ Chester, Tim (8 February 2010). "Album review: Yeasayer – 'Odd Blood' (Mute)". NME. http://www.nme.com/reviews/yeasayer/11053. Retrieved 9 February 2010. 
  4. ^ Bat for Lashes New Single 'Pearl's Dream' | Envy Magazine
  5. ^ http://www.batforlashes.com/latest_news/entry/watch_the_sleep_alone_video/
  6. ^ http://www.allmusic.com/album/r1503963
  7. ^ "Shining promise dims in 'Two Suns'". The Boston Globe. http://www.boston.com/ae/music/cd_reviews/articles/2009/04/13/shining_promise_dims_in_two_suns/. 
  8. ^ Perry, Andrew (2 April 2009). "Bat For Lashes - Two Suns, review". The Daily Telegraph (London). http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/5095416/Bat-For-Lashes---Two-Suns-review.html. 
  9. ^ http://drownedinsound.com/releases/14202/reviews/4136404
  10. ^ Lynskey, Dorian (3 April 2009). "Two Suns, Bat for Lashes". The Guardian (London). http://www.guardian.co.uk/music/2009/apr/03/two-suns-bat-for-lashes. 
  11. ^ Gill, Andy (3 April 2009). "Album: Bat For Lashes, Two Suns (Parlophone)". The Independent (London). http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/reviews/album-bat-for-lashes-two-suns-parlophone-1660854.html. 
  12. ^ http://www.nme.com/reviews/bat-for-lashes/10296
  13. ^ http://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/12910-two-suns/
  14. ^ http://www.robertchristgau.com/get_artist.php?id=6180&name=Bat+for+Lashes
  15. ^ http://www.rollingstone.com/reviews/album/27205155/review/27181570/two_suns
  16. ^ http://www.slantmagazine.com/music/review/bat-for-lashes-two-suns/1695
  17. ^ http://www.spin.com/reviews/bat-lashes-two-suns-astralwerks
  18. ^ "Bat For Lashes Count Two Suns". chartattack.com. 12 January 2009. http://www.chartattack.com/news/64774/bat-for-lashes-count-two-suns. Retrieved 15 January 2009. 
  19. ^ "Bat for Lashes Gets Scott Walker, Yeasayer". Pitchfork Media. 9 January 2009. http://www.pitchforkmedia.com/article/news/148353-bat-for-lashes-gets-scott-walker-yeasayer-on-lp. Retrieved 15 January 2009. 
  20. ^ "Two Suns – Bat for Lashes". Last.fm. http://www.last.fm/music/Bat+for+Lashes/Two+Suns. Retrieved 5 April 2009. 
  21. ^ http://www.metacritic.com/music/artists/batforlashes/twosuns
  22. ^ Cinquemani, Sal (1 February 2010). "Best of the Aughts: Albums". Slant Magazine. http://www.slantmagazine.com/music/feature/best-of-the-aughts-albums/215. Retrieved 10 February 2010. 
  23. ^ http://www.billboard.com/bbcom/esearch/chart_display.jsp?cfi=293&cfgn=Albums&cfn=European+Top+100+Albums&ci=3107682&cdi=10182716&cid=04%2F25%2F2009
  24. ^ Suomen virallinen lista
  25. ^ [1]
  26. ^ http://www.ariacharts.com.au/pages/chartifacts.htm#top
  27. ^ http://www.billboard.com/bbcom/esearch/chart_display.jsp?cfi=305&cfgn=Albums&cfn=The+Billboard+200&ci=3107606&cdi=10180033&cid=04%2F25%2F2009
  28. ^ http://www.billboard.com/bbcom/esearch/chart_display.jsp?cfi=292&cfgn=Albums&cfn=Billboard+Comprehensive+Albums&ci=3107602&cdi=10179734&cid=04%2F25%2F2009
  29. ^ http://www.billboard.com/bbcom/esearch/chart_display.jsp?cfi=324&cfgn=Albums&cfn=Top+Heatseekers&ci=3107605&cdi=10179937&cid=04%2F25%2F2009
  30. ^ "British album certifications – Bat for Lashes – TTwo Suns". British Phonographic Industry. http://www.bpi.co.uk/certifiedawards/search.aspx.  Enter TTwo Suns in the field Search. Select Title in the field Search by. Select album in the field By Format. Click Go