The Haunted Man (album)

The Haunted Man
Studio album by Bat for Lashes
Released 12 October 2012
Recorded 2010–12
Studio Abbey Road Studios, London
Genre
Length 51:28
Label Parlophone
Producer
Bat for Lashes chronology

Two Suns
(2009)		 The Haunted Man
(2012)
Singles from The Haunted Man
  1. "Laura"
    Released: 24 July 2012
  2. "All Your Gold"
    Released: 19 September 2012
  3. "A Wall"
    Released: 18 February 2013

The Haunted Man is the third studio album by English recording artist Bat for Lashes. It was released on 12 October 2012 by Parlophone. The album was preceded by the lead single "Laura", which was released on 24 July 2012.

Background

Bat for Lashes, otherwise known as Natasha Khan, stated that, after she returned from touring in March 2010, she tried to rehabilitate herself to rebuild a sense of who she was without the music.[1] In May 2010, Khan stated that although she had enough songs to put out as an album, she wanted to take more time working on new material as she had been on tour for so long and found it boring to write songs about being on tour.[2] She experienced a "profound writer's block", which led her to call Thom Yorke, lead singer of Radiohead, to ask, "What do you do when you feel like you're going to die because you can't write anything?"[1] He advised her to draw, and subsequently Khan took life-drawing classes and a children's illustration course. Combined with intensive dance classes to boost her confidence, Khan began to feel inspiration enough to begin writing again, penning the album's opening song, "Lilies", which she said was inspired by a scene in the 1970 film Ryan's Daughter.[1]

The album's artwork was photographed by American photographer Ryan McGinley,[3] and features a nude Khan carrying an equally naked man on her back.[4] Khan told the NME: "I really wanted to strip things back in honour of women like Patti Smith; just these raw, honest women. I had no make-up on, it's just me and my haunted man!"[3]

Singles

"Laura" was released as the album's lead single on 24 July 2012.[5] The song reached number 144 on the UK Singles Chart.[6] "All Your Gold" was released as the second single from the album on 19 September 2012,[7] and was sent to US triple-A radio stations on 22 October.[8] "A Wall" was released as the album's third and final single on 18 February 2013.[9]

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
Source Rating
Metacritic 78/100[10]
Review scores
Source Rating
AllMusic [11]
The A.V. Club B−[12]
The Guardian [13]
The Independent [14]
NME 8/10[15]
Now 4/5[16]
The Observer [17]
Pitchfork Media 8.4/10[18]
Rolling Stone [19]
Slant Magazine [20]

The Haunted Man received positive reviews from most music critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a weighted mean rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album received an average score of 78, based on 35 reviews, which indicates "generally favorable reviews".[10] Pitchfork Media's Marc Hogan named The Haunted Man "one of the year's most beguiling albums", writing that it "sounds like effort magnificently realized. The rawness of feeling is achieved through equally raw ambition."[18] Under the Radar‍ '​s Austin Trunick opined, "Stripped down of any excessive ornamentation, it's the most raw incarnation of Bat For Lashes we've heard yet [...] From the beginning, it's the passion in her vocals that drives the record, seemingly less concerned this time around with crafting the atmospheric dreamworlds of her past work and more in finding some emotional truth in the simple compositions."[21] Anupa Mistry of Now described the album as "yearning, elegant pop music in line with the past year's best: patterned and dreamy like Jessie Ware's Devotion, unrepentant like Fiona Apple's The Idler Wheel and as beguilingly honest as St. Vincent's Strange Mercy."[16] Ben Hewitt of the NME commented that "while The Haunted Man deals in less trinkets than its predecessor, it's not scant in splendour. Instead, for large swathes, it's like being plunged into a fairytale soundtracked by skin-prickling electro and populated by downtrodden sods hunting for breadcrumbs of comfort."[15] Rolling Stone‍ '​s Will Hermes praised the album as Khan's "sexiest, spookiest LP", stating that "the visions here seem all her own. And they're pretty awesome."[19]

The Guardian critic Alexis Petridis wrote that The Haunted Man "sounds like a bold, confident album that strips away a lot of the sonic embellishments from Khan's sound", adding that "[p]erhaps it's the sound of someone who's worked out that less can sometimes be more, that not trying too hard isn't the same as not trying."[13] Heather Phares of AllMusic stated, "Focus and restraint might not sound exciting in and of themselves, but The Haunted Man is more direct than any of Bat for Lashes' previous work, and manages to keep the air of mystique around Khan that has made her one to watch and listen to since her early days."[11] Slant Magazine's Kevin Liedel viewed that "while the album's comparatively restrained arrangements occasionally wilt in the face of Khan's fierce melodrama, The Haunted Man is still a worthy, often gorgeous entry in the Bat for Lashes canon."[20] In a mixed review, Annie Zaleski of The A.V. Club critiqued that Khan's "moody charisma and piercing vocals ensure the album is still an enjoyable listen. All the same, it's disappointing that The Haunted Man‍ '​s beauty is too often only skin deep."[12] Despite citing The Haunted Man as "Khan's strongest yet", The Observer‍ '​s Kitty Empire felt that the album "does not [...] deal the killer blow of originality that by now Khan should have in her power", concluding that "The Haunted Man is an assured and sonically seductive record—if only it didn't echo a little too often the sound of other women's work."[17] Andy Gill of The Independent argued that "[t]here are moments on The Haunted Man when Natasha Khan's carefully-marshalled musical forces evoke exactly the right ambience for songs pivoting on the notion of renewal. But sometimes the recurrent mood of ecstatic affirmation of life that's evident in her singing can be short-changed by arrangements that fuss to no great purpose, dissipating their impact in brittle beats and pointless detail."[14] Neil McCormick of The Daily Telegraph expressed that although the album "occasionally draw[s] blood", it "doesn't live up to its stripped and dangerous cover", adding, "For every song that opens up and invites you in to experience the startling wonders of [Khan's] private world, there's another that just hangs like a gauzy veil of unusual sounds and vague lyrics, not so much impenetrable as too insubstantial to be worth the effort of investigation."[22]

Accolades

The album was listed at number six on Spin‍ '​s 50 Best Albums of 2012, and the magazine wrote, "[W]hen the often-fantastical, mythology-loving [...] Bat for Lashes dropped a testament to her strength—an open, plaintive meditation on courage, self-esteem, and coming into one's own that also pushed her opulent, operatic sound forward—it was cultural reinforcement that self-sacrifice needn't be a part of the female pop-star narrative."[23] DIY named The Haunted Man the tenth best album of 2012, stating it "shines as an exemplary beacon of what can be achieved within the mainstream, given great ambition and artistic integrity."[24] Pitchfork Media placed the album at number seventeen on its list of The Top 50 Albums of 2012, calling it "empathetic, bold, and outlandish".[25] The Haunted Man was ranked the twenty-first and thirty-second best album of 2012 by The Guardian and the NME, respectively.[26][27]

PopMatters included the album at number thirty-three on its list of The 75 Best Albums of 2012 and noted that it "lays off the thick orchestration to reveal even more rhythmic complexity than usual", while citing it as Khan's "richest release".[28] It was named the fortieth best album of 2012 by Fact magazine, which opined that Khan's "mimicry of Kate Bush outpaces her contemporaries (ahem, Florence) and sonically, the influence of austere, icy post-punk is a welcome development. The Haunted Man is not perfect, but with standouts like 'Laura' and 'Lilies', it's a well-composed pop album."[29] AllMusic ranked The Haunted Man as the forty-fourth best album of 2012 and commented it contains "some of [Khan's] most striking and vital-sounding songs yet", concluding, "Balancing the primal beauty of her first album and the elaborate character studies of her second, she moved between sparkling synth pop and spare piano balladry with a dreamlike ease that reaffirmed her as one of pop's most captivating figures since Kate Bush's heyday."[30]

Commercial performance

The Haunted Man debuted at number six on the UK Albums Chart, selling 13,334 copies in its first week.[31] The following week, it fell to number thirty-six on sales of 3,991 copies.[32] The album entered the Billboard 200 at number sixty-four, becoming Khan's highest-charting album so far in the United States.[33]

Track listing

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

No. TitleWriter(s)Producer(s) Length
1. "Lilies"   
 4:45
2. "All Your Gold"   
  • Khan
  • Dan Carey
  • Kosten[a]
 4:31
3. "Horses of the Sun"   
  • Khan
  • Kosten
 4:59
4. "Oh Yeah"   
 4:54
5. "Laura"  
  • Khan
  • Carey
  • Kosten[a]
 4:25
6. "Winter Fields"   
  • Khan
  • Kosten
 3:41
7. "The Haunted Man"   
  • Khan
  • Kosten
 5:16
8. "Marilyn"   
  • Khan
  • Carey
  • Kosten
 4:35
9. "A Wall"   
  • Khan
  • Carey
  • Kosten
 4:00
10. "Rest Your Head"   
  • Khan
  • Carey
  • Kosten[a]
 4:03
11. "Deep Sea Diver"   
  • Khan
  • Carey
  • Kosten[a]
 6:19
Notes

Personnel

Credits for adapted from the liner notes of The Haunted Man.[35]

  • Natasha Khan – vocals, production (all tracks); autoharp (tracks 1, 3); celesta, clarinet synth, horn synth (track 1); bass synth (tracks 1, 7, 8, 11); programming (tracks 1, 6); glass percussion, harp (track 2); piano (tracks 2, 7, 11); synthesiser (tracks 2, 4, 6–11); live cymbals, Omnichord, string arrangement (track 3); bass piano, bells, sampler, shaker (track 4); beat programming (tracks 4, 8); horn arrangement, string arrangement (track 5); drums, string arrangement, woodwind arrangement (track 6); choral words (track 7); bass (track 9); string synth (tracks 9, 11); Mellotron, MPC, QY70, thumb piano (track 10); harmonium (track 11); concept, design
  • Kato Ådland – additional engineering (track 4); additional engineering on choral arrangement (track 7)
  • T.J. Allen – synthesiser (track 3)
  • Brendan Ashe – piano (track 4); choral arrangement, choral singer (track 7)
  • Max Baillie – viola (tracks 3, 6)
  • Nick Barr – viola (tracks 2, 7, 8)
  • Natalia Bonner – violin (tracks 2, 7, 8)
  • Ian Burdge – cello (tracks 2, 5, 7, 8)
  • Dan Carey – beat programming (tracks 1, 8, 11); mix engineering (track 1); mixing (tracks 1, 2, 4, 5, 8–11); drum programming (tracks 2, 9–11); percussion, piano (track 2); engineering, production (tracks 2, 4, 5, 8–11); guitar (tracks 2, 4, 9, 10); bass, programming (track 4); synthesiser (tracks 8, 10); Omnisphere (track 9); atmospheric sounds, sampler (track 11)
  • Ben Christophers – choral singer (track 7); choral sample, piano, synthesiser (track 8)
  • John Davis – mastering
  • Ali Dods – violin (tracks 2, 7, 8)
  • Rob Ellis – additional production, drums, marimba (track 4); additional engineering on choral arrangement, choral singer (track 7)
  • James Ford – programming, synthesiser (track 10)
  • Louisa Fuller – violin (tracks 2, 7, 8)
  • Sophie Harris – cello (tracks 2, 5, 7, 8)
  • Mo Hausler – additional engineering (tracks 3, 4); engineering (tracks 6, 7)
  • Sally Herbert – arrangement (tracks 2, 7); conductor (tracks 2, 5, 7); additional arrangement (tracks 5, 7)
  • Ian Humphries – violin (tracks 2, 7, 8)
  • Sarah Jones – backing vocals (track 7)
  • Mike Kearsey – trombone (tracks 5, 7, 8)
  • Tariq Khan – synthesiser (track 10)
  • David Kosten – beats (track 1); engineering (tracks 1, 3, 6, 7); production (tracks 1, 3, 6–9); keyboards, programming (tracks 1, 3, 4, 6–11); additional engineering (tracks 2, 4, 5, 8–11); additional production (tracks 2, 4, 5, 10, 11); mixing (tracks 3, 6, 7); synthesiser (tracks 3, 9); vocoder programming (track 8); vocoder (track 9); beat programming, harmonium beat (track 11)
  • Rick Koster – violin (tracks 2, 7, 8)
  • Oli Langford – string arrangement (track 3); violin (tracks 3, 6); additional arrangement (track 6)
  • Tom Loffman – additional engineering (track 3)
  • Eliza Marshall – bass flute (track 6); flute (tracks 7, 8)
  • Oren Marshall – tuba (track 5)
  • Ryan McGinley – photography
  • John Metcalfe – orchestral arrangement (track 1); sampler (tracks 1, 3); additional programming, arrangement, conductor (track 7)
  • Jeff Moore – violin (tracks 2, 7, 8)
  • Everton Nelson – violin leader (tracks 2, 7, 8)
  • Dan Newell – trumpet (tracks 5, 7, 8)
  • Sam Okell – string engineering (tracks 2, 5, 7, 8); horn engineering (tracks 5, 7, 8)
  • Justin Parker – piano, vocal engineering, vocal production (track 5)
  • Tim Pigott-Smith – violin (tracks 3, 6)
  • Jeremy Pritchard – bass (tracks 3, 9)
  • Richard Pryce – double bass (tracks 5, 7, 8)
  • Lucy Railton – cello (tracks 3, 6)
  • Kate Robinson – violin (tracks 2, 7, 8)
  • Steve Rossell – double bass (tracks 5, 7, 8)
  • Isabel Seeliger-Morley – assistant mix engineering (tracks 3, 6, 7)
  • Dave Sitek – synth sound (track 1); synthesiser (track 9)
  • Alexis Smith – mix engineering (track 1); engineering (tracks 2, 4, 5, 8–11)
  • Drew Smith – additional engineering (track 3); assistant engineering (tracks 4, 6, 7)
  • Michael Spearman – drums (tracks 3, 7, 9)
  • Leo Taylor – live drums (tracks 1, 9); drums (track 4)
  • Adrian Utley – additional synthesiser, guitar (track 3)
  • Chris Vatalaro – timpani (tracks 7, 8)
  • Finn Vine – guitar (tracks 1, 3)
  • Vicci Wardman – viola (tracks 2, 7, 8)
  • Richard Watkins – French horn (tracks 5, 7, 8)
  • Richard Welland – design
  • Bruce White – viola (tracks 2, 7, 8)
  • Chris Worsey – cello (tracks 2, 5, 7, 8)
  • Zosienka – sketches

Charts

Chart (2012–13) Peak
position
Australian Albums Chart[36] 21
Belgian Albums Chart (Flanders)[37] 12
Belgian Albums Chart (Wallonia)[38] 21
Dutch Albums Chart[39] 81
Finnish Albums Chart[40] 18
French Albums Chart[41] 31
German Albums Chart[42] 72
Irish Albums Chart[43] 7
Italian Albums Chart[44] 74
New Zealand Albums Chart[45] 32
Portuguese Albums Chart[46] 24
Scottish Albums Chart[47] 8
Swedish Albums Chart[48] 53
Swiss Albums Chart[49] 29
UK Albums Chart[50] 6
US Billboard 200[51] 64
US Alternative Albums[52] 13
US Top Rock Albums[53] 21

Release history

Region Date Label
Australia[54] 12 October 2012 EMI
Germany[55]
Ireland[56] Parlophone
United Kingdom[57] 15 October 2012
France[58] EMI
Italy[59] 16 October 2012
United States[60] 23 October 2012 Capitol
Poland[61] 29 October 2012 EMI

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Snapes, Laura (18 October 2012). "Cover Story: Bat for Lashes". Pitchfork Media. Retrieved 4 November 2012.
  2. ↑ Paine, Andre (28 May 2010). "Bat For Lashes May Recruit Beck For Album". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved 26 July 2012.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 Hooton, Christopher (24 July 2012). "Bat For Lashes on naked album cover 'I wanted The Haunted Man to be raw'". Metro. Associated Newspapers. Retrieved 15 February 2015.
  4. ↑ "Bat For Lashes poses naked on 'The Haunted Man' album cover". NME. IPC Media. 23 July 2012. Retrieved 26 July 2012.
  5. ↑ "Laura: Bat For Lashes: MP3 Downloads". Amazon.com. Retrieved 15 February 2015.
  6. ↑ "CHART: CLUK Update 4.08.2012 (wk30)". Zobbel. Retrieved 19 September 2012.
  7. ↑ "All Your Gold: Bat For Lashes: MP3 Downloads". Amazon.co.uk. Retrieved 15 February 2015.
  8. ↑ "Future Releases on Triple A (AAA) Radio Stations". All Access Music Group. Archived from the original on 16 September 2012. Retrieved 16 September 2012.
  9. ↑ "A Wall: Bat For Lashes: MP3 Downloads". Amazon.co.uk. Retrieved 15 February 2015.
  10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 "Reviews for The Haunted Man by Bat for Lashes". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved 23 October 2012.
  11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 Phares, Heather. "The Haunted Man – Bat for Lashes". AllMusic. All Media Network. Retrieved 27 November 2012.
  12. ↑ 12.0 12.1 Zaleski, Annie (16 October 2012). "Bat For Lashes: The Haunted Man". The A.V. Club. The Onion. Retrieved 15 February 2015.
  13. ↑ 13.0 13.1 Petridis, Alexis (11 October 2012). "Bat for Lashes: The Haunted Man – review". The Guardian. Retrieved 15 February 2015.
  14. ↑ 14.0 14.1 Gill, Andy (13 October 2012). "Album: Bat For Lashes, The Haunted Man (Parlophone)". The Independent. Retrieved 13 October 2012.
  15. ↑ 15.0 15.1 Hewitt, Ben (12 October 2012). "Bat For Lashes – 'The Haunted Man'". NME. IPC Media. Retrieved 18 October 2012.
  16. ↑ 16.0 16.1 Mistry, Anupa (18–25 October 2012). "Bat for Lashes – The Haunted Man". Now 32 (7). Retrieved 15 February 2015.
  17. ↑ 17.0 17.1 Empire, Kitty (14 October 2012). "Bat for Lashes: The Haunted Man – review". The Observer. Guardian Media Group. Retrieved 15 February 2015.
  18. ↑ 18.0 18.1 Hogan, Marc (22 October 2012). "Bat For Lashes: The Haunted Man". Pitchfork Media. Retrieved 22 October 2012.
  19. ↑ 19.0 19.1 Hermes, Will (23 October 2012). "The Haunted Man". Rolling Stone. Wenner Media. Retrieved 23 October 2012.
  20. ↑ 20.0 20.1 Liedel, Kevin (19 October 2012). "Bat for Lashes: The Haunted Man". Slant Magazine. Retrieved 15 February 2015.
  21. ↑ Trunick, Austin (19 October 2012). "Bat For Lashes: The Haunted Man". Under the Radar. Retrieved 25 October 2012.
  22. ↑ McCormick, Neil (12 October 2012). "Bat for Lashes, The Haunted Man, Pop CD review". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 12 October 2012.
  23. ↑ Shepherd, Julianne Escobedo (3 December 2012). "SPIN's 50 Best Albums of 2012". Spin. Retrieved 29 December 2012.
  24. ↑ Paterson, Ian (7 December 2012). "DIY Albums Of 2012: 10 – 1". DIY. Retrieved 15 February 2015.
  25. ↑ Harvey, Eric (20 December 2012). "The Top 50 Albums of 2012". Pitchfork Media. Retrieved 29 December 2012.
  26. ↑ "Best albums of 2012: 40–21". The Guardian. 26 November 2012. Retrieved 15 February 2015.
  27. ↑ "Albums and Tracks of the Year for 2012". NME. IPC Media. Retrieved 29 December 2012.
  28. ↑ Bloom, David (10 December 2012). "The 75 Best Albums of 2012". PopMatters. Retrieved 15 February 2015.
  29. ↑ "The 50 best albums of 2012". Fact. The Vinyl Factory. 3 December 2012. Retrieved 29 December 2012.
  30. ↑ "AllMusic Best of 2012". AllMusic. All Media Network. Archived from the original on 4 March 2013. Retrieved 29 December 2012.
  31. ↑ Jones, Alan (22 October 2012). "Official Charts Analysis: Jake Bugg beats Leona Lewis to No.1 by 8k sales". Music Week. Intent Media. Retrieved 23 October 2012. (subscription required)
  32. ↑ Jones, Alan (29 October 2012). "Official Charts Analysis: Taylor Swift LP sells 61k". Music Week. Intent Media. Retrieved 1 November 2012. (subscription required)
  33. ↑ Willams, Paul (1 November 2012). "US charts: Swift poised to overtake One Direction's sales". Music Week. Intent Media. Retrieved 1 November 2012.
  34. ↑ "The Haunted Man by Bat for Lashes". iTunes Store (GB). Apple. Retrieved 15 February 2015.
  35. ↑ The Haunted Man (CD liner notes). Bat for Lashes. Parlophone. 2012. P3270492.
  36. ↑ "Bat For Lashes – The Haunted Man". australian-charts.com. Hung Medien. Retrieved 21 October 2012.
  37. ↑ "Bat For Lashes – The Haunted Man" (in Dutch). Ultratop. Hung Medien. Retrieved 19 October 2012.
  38. ↑ "Bat For Lashes – The Haunted Man" (in French). Ultratop. Hung Medien. Retrieved 19 October 2012.
  39. ↑ "Bat For Lashes – The Haunted Man" (in Dutch). dutchcharts.nl. Hung Medien. Retrieved 21 October 2012.
  40. ↑ "Bat For Lashes – The Haunted Man". finnishcharts.com. Hung Medien. Retrieved 30 October 2012.
  41. ↑ "Bat For Lashes – The Haunted Man" (in French). lescharts.com. Hung Medien. Retrieved 30 October 2012.
  42. ↑ "Bat For Lashes, The Haunted Man" (in German). officialcharts.de. GfK Entertainment. Retrieved 23 October 2012.
  43. ↑ "Top 75 Artist Album, Week Ending 18 October 2012". Chart-Track. Irish Recorded Music Association. Retrieved 19 October 2012.
  44. ↑ "Bat For Lashes – The Haunted Man". italiancharts.com. Hung Medien. Retrieved 15 February 2015.
  45. ↑ "Bat For Lashes – The Haunted Man". charts.org.nz. Hung Medien. Retrieved 17 February 2013.
  46. ↑ "Bat For Lashes – The Haunted Man". portuguesecharts.com. Hung Medien. Retrieved 30 October 2012.
  47. ↑ "2012 Top 40 Scottish Albums Archive". Official Charts Company. 27 October 2012. Retrieved 21 October 2012.
  48. ↑ "Bat For Lashes – The Haunted Man". swedishcharts.com. Hung Medien. Retrieved 30 October 2012.
  49. ↑ "Bat For Lashes – The Haunted Man". swisscharts.com. Hung Medien. Retrieved 25 October 2012.
  50. ↑ "2012 Top 40 Official UK Albums Archive". Official Charts Company. 27 October 2012. Retrieved 21 October 2012.
  51. ↑ "Bat for Lashes – Chart history: Billboard 200". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved 17 February 2013.
  52. ↑ "Bat for Lashes – Chart history: Alternative Albums". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved 17 February 2013.
  53. ↑ "Bat for Lashes – Chart history: Top Rock Albums". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved 17 February 2013.
  54. ↑ "Haunted Man, The". JB Hi-Fi. Retrieved 15 February 2015.
  55. ↑ "Bat for Lashes // The Haunted Man" (in German). EMI Music Germany. Archived from the original on 18 October 2012. Retrieved 19 September 2012.
  56. ↑ "Bat For Lashes – Haunted Man". Tower Records Ireland. Archived from the original on 17 October 2012. Retrieved 19 September 2012.
  57. ↑ "The Haunted Man by Bat For Lashes". Amazon.co.uk. Retrieved 15 February 2015.
  58. ↑
  59. ↑ "Bat for Lashes – The Haunted Man" (in Italian). Internet Bookshop Italia. Retrieved 25 October 2012.
  60. ↑ "Bat For Lashes: The Haunted Man". Amazon.com. Retrieved 26 July 2012.
  61. ↑ "The Haunted Man – Bat for Lashes" (in Polish). Empik. Retrieved 25 October 2012.