The Haunted Man (album) explained

The Haunted Man
Type:studio
Artist:Bat for Lashes
Cover:Bat for Lashes - The Haunted Man.png
Recorded:2010–2012
Studio:
  • DK (London)
  • Mr Dan's (London)
  • Assault & Battery 2 (London)
  • Beethoven Street (London)
  • Wayward Sound
  • Abbey Road (London)
  • The Premises (London)
  • Riversonic (Italy)
Genre:
Length:51:28
Label:Parlophone
Producer:
Prev Title:Two Suns
Prev Year:2009
Next Title:The Bride
Next Year:2016

The Haunted Man is the third studio album by English singer and songwriter Natasha Khan, known professionally as 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

Khan stated in July 2012 that, after she returned home in March 2010 from touring in support of Two Suns (2009), she tried to rehabilitate herself to rebuild a sense of who she was without the music.[3] 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 a long time, and found it boring to write songs about being on tour.[4] 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?"[3] 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.[3]

The album's artwork was photographed by American photographer Ryan McGinley,[5] and features a naked Khan carrying an equally naked man on her back.[6] Khan told 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!"[5]

Singles

"Laura" was released as the album's lead single on 24 July 2012.[7] The song reached number 144 on the UK Singles Chart.[8] "All Your Gold" was released as the second single from the album on 19 September 2012,[9] and was sent to US triple-A radio stations on 22 October.[10] "A Wall" was released as the album's third and final single on 18 February 2013.[11]

Critical reception

The Haunted Man received generally positive reviews 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 78, based on 36 reviews, which indicates "generally favorable reviews".[12] Pitchforks 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."[13] Ben Hewitt of 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."[14] Rolling Stones 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."[15] Spins Julianne Escobedo Shepherd felt that it was "strongest in its simplest moments".[16] 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."[17] Q noted a sense of clarity on the album "that comes from the sense of physical boundaries being pushed, of personal space being tested to its limits".[18]

Heather Phares of AllMusic opined, "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."[19] Slant Magazines 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 Mans beauty is too often only skin deep."[21] Despite citing the album as Khan's "strongest yet", The Observers Kitty Empire felt that it "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."[22] Andy Gill of The Independent argued that "[t]here are moments on The Haunted Man when Natasha Khan's 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."[23] 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."[24]

Accolades

PublicationAccoladeRank
AllMusicBest of 201244[25]
Beats Per Minute35[26]
Consequence of SoundTop 50 Albums of 201219[27]
DIYAlbums of 201210[28]
Fact40[29]
Best Albums of 201221[30]
musicOMHTop 100 Albums of 201240[31]
NME50 Best Albums of 201232[32]
Pitchfork17[33]
Pitchfork92[34]
PopMatters33[35]
Slant Magazine4[36]
Spin50 Best Albums of 20126[37]
StereogumTop 50 Albums of 201244[38]
UncutTop 75 New Albums of 201274[39]
Under the RadarTop 100 Albums of 20124[40]
Pazz & Jop34[41]

Commercial performance

The Haunted Man debuted at number six on the UK Albums Chart, selling 13,334 copies in its first week.[42] The following week, it fell to number 36 with 3,991 copies sold.[43] The album entered the Billboard 200 at number 64, becoming Khan's highest-charting album so far in the United States.[44]

Track listing

Notes

Personnel

Credits adapted from the liner notes of The Haunted Man.[45]

Musicians

Technical

Artwork

Release history

Region! scope="col"
DateLabel
Australia12 October 2012EMI[46]
Germany[47]
IrelandParlophone[48]
United Kingdom15 October 2012[49]
FranceEMI[50] [51]
Italy16 October 2012[52]
United States23 October 2012Capitol[53]
Poland29 October 2012EMI[54]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: McGovern . Kyle . Dearly Beloved: Bat for Lashes on Becoming 'The Bride' . . 16 June 2016 . 11 July 2016.
  2. Web site: Bat for Lashes . . 24 May 2016 . 11 July 2016 . https://web.archive.org/web/20160920060732/https://www.timeout.com/newyork/music/bat-for-lashes . 20 September 2016.
  3. Web site: Snapes . Laura . Cover Story: Bat for Lashes . . 18 October 2012 . 25 December 2017.
  4. Paine . Andre . Bat For Lashes May Recruit Beck For Album . . 28 May 2010 . 26 July 2012.
  5. Web site: Hooton . Christopher . Bat For Lashes on naked album cover 'I wanted The Haunted Man to be raw' . . 24 July 2012 . 15 February 2015.
  6. Web site: Bat For Lashes poses naked on 'The Haunted Man' album cover . . 23 July 2012 . 25 December 2017.
  7. Web site: Laura: Bat For Lashes: MP3 Downloads . . United States . 15 February 2015 . https://web.archive.org/web/20150215130616/http://www.amazon.com/Laura-Bat-For-Lashes/dp/B008P636S4 . 15 February 2015.
  8. Web site: CHART: CLUK Update 4.08.2012 (wk30) . Zobbel . 19 September 2012.
  9. Web site: All Your Gold: Bat For Lashes: MP3 Downloads . Amazon . United Kingdom . 15 February 2015 . https://web.archive.org/web/20150215103829/http://www.amazon.co.uk/All-Your-Gold-Bat-Lashes/dp/B009CXZOAC . 15 February 2015.
  10. Web site: Future Releases on Triple A (AAA) Radio Stations . All Access Music Group . 16 September 2012 . https://web.archive.org/web/20120822142047/http://www.allaccess.com/triple-a/future-releases . live . 22 August 2012.
  11. Web site: A Wall: Bat For Lashes: MP3 Downloads . Amazon . United Kingdom . 15 February 2015 . https://web.archive.org/web/20150215104725/http://www.amazon.co.uk/A-Wall-Bat-For-Lashes/dp/B00HFSG56S . 15 February 2015.
  12. Web site: Reviews for The Haunted Man by Bat for Lashes . . 23 October 2012.
  13. Web site: Hogan . Marc . Bat for Lashes: The Haunted Man . Pitchfork . 22 October 2012 . 22 October 2012.
  14. Web site: Hewitt . Ben . Bat For Lashes – 'The Haunted Man' . NME . 12 October 2012 . 18 October 2012 . https://web.archive.org/web/20160304141628/http://www.nme.com/reviews/bat-for-lashes/13767 . 4 March 2016.
  15. Hermes . Will . Will Hermes . The Haunted Man . . 23 October 2012 . 23 October 2012.
  16. Web site: Shepherd . Julianne Escobedo . Bat for Lashes, 'The Haunted Man' (Parlophone) . Spin . 23 October 2012 . 3 July 2016.
  17. Web site: Petridis . Alexis . Alexis Petridis . Bat for Lashes: The Haunted Man – review . . 11 October 2012 . 15 February 2015.
  18. Bat for Lashes: The Haunted Man . . 316 . November 2012 . 97 . 0955-4955.
  19. Web site: Phares . Heather . The Haunted Man – Bat for Lashes . AllMusic . 27 November 2012.
  20. Web site: Liedel . Kevin . Bat for Lashes: The Haunted Man . Slant Magazine . 19 October 2012 . 15 February 2015.
  21. Web site: Zaleski . Annie . Annie Zaleski . Bat For Lashes: The Haunted Man . . 16 October 2012 . 25 December 2017.
  22. Web site: Empire . Kitty . Kitty Empire . Bat for Lashes: The Haunted Man – review . . 14 October 2012 . 15 February 2015.
  23. Web site: Gill . Andy . Album: Bat For Lashes, The Haunted Man (Parlophone) . . 13 October 2012 . 13 October 2012 . https://web.archive.org/web/20121114235722/http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/reviews/album-bat-for-lashes-the-haunted-man-parlophone-8207546.html . 14 November 2012.
  24. Web site: McCormick . Neil . Neil McCormick . Bat for Lashes, The Haunted Man, Pop CD review . . 12 October 2012 . 12 October 2012.
  25. Web site: AllMusic Best of 2012 . . 29 December 2012 . https://web.archive.org/web/20130128170353/http://www.allmusic.com/lists/best-of/albums/2012/44 . 28 January 2013.
  26. Web site: The Top 50 Albums of 2012 . . 14 December 2012 . 25 December 2017.
  27. Web site: Top 50 Albums of 2012 . . 14 December 2012 . 25 December 2017.
  28. Web site: DIY Albums Of 2012: 10 – 1 . . 7 December 2012 . 15 February 2015.
  29. Web site: The 50 best albums of 2012 . . 3 December 2012 . 29 December 2012.
  30. Web site: Best albums of 2012: 40–21 . The Guardian . 26 November 2012 . 15 February 2015.
  31. Web site: musicOMH's Top 100 Albums Of 2012: 50–6 . . 15 December 2012 . 25 December 2017.
  32. Web site: Lewis . Luke . 50 Best Albums Of 2012 . NME . 20 November 2012 . 25 December 2017 . https://web.archive.org/web/20130412004654/http://www.nme.com/blogs/the-big-picture/50-best-albums-of-2012 . 12 April 2013.
  33. Web site: The Top 50 Albums of 2012 . Pitchfork . 20 December 2012 . 11 July 2016.
  34. Web site: The 100 Best Albums of the Decade So Far (2010–2014) . Pitchfork . 18 August 2014 . 25 December 2017.
  35. Web site: The 75 Best Albums of 2012 . . 10 December 2012 . 15 February 2015 . https://web.archive.org/web/20150215160902/http://www.popmatters.com/feature/166270-the-75-best-albums-of-2012/P4/ . 15 February 2015.
  36. Web site: The 25 Best Albums of 2012 . . 13 December 2012 . 25 December 2017.
  37. Web site: SPIN's 50 Best Albums of 2012 . Spin . 3 December 2012 . 11 July 2016.
  38. Web site: Stereogum's Top 50 Albums Of 2012 . . 5 December 2012 . 25 December 2017.
  39. Web site: Uncut's Top 75 new albums of 2012 . . 25 December 2017 . https://web.archive.org/web/20141213100247/http://www.uncut.co.uk/lps-of-the-year-news . 13 December 2014.
  40. Web site: Under the Radar's Top 100 Albums of 2012 . . 27 March 2013 . 25 December 2017.
  41. Web site: Pazz+Jop 2012: Albums Winners . . 25 December 2017 . https://web.archive.org/web/20150919162956/http://www.villagevoice.com/pazznjop/albums/2012 . 19 September 2015.
  42. Web site: Jones . Alan . Official Charts Analysis: Jake Bugg beats Leona Lewis to No.1 by 8k sales . . 22 October 2012 . 13 August 2018 . subscription .
  43. Web site: Jones . Alan . Official Charts Analysis: Taylor Swift LP sells 61k . Music Week . 29 October 2012 . 1 November 2012 . subscription .
  44. Web site: Willams . Paul . US charts: Swift poised to overtake One Direction's sales . Music Week . 1 November 2012 . 1 November 2012 . https://web.archive.org/web/20121114071641/http://www.musicweek.com/news/read/us-charts-swift-poised-to-overtake-one-direction-s-sales/052390 . 14 November 2012.
  45. The Haunted Man . liner notes . . . 2012 . P3270492.
  46. Web site: Haunted Man, The . . 15 February 2015 . https://web.archive.org/web/20150215050913/https://www.jbhifi.com.au/music/Whats-Hot/alternative/haunted-man-the/295952/ . 15 February 2015.
  47. Web site: Bat for Lashes // The Haunted Man . . de . 19 September 2012 . https://web.archive.org/web/20121018123538/http://emimusic.de/release/3253045,5099932704921/bat-for-lashes-the-haunted-man . 18 October 2012.
  48. Web site: Bat For Lashes – Haunted Man . Tower Records Ireland . 19 September 2012 . https://web.archive.org/web/20121017050901/http://www.towerrecords.ie/product/Bat_For_Lashes_Haunted_Man/557119 . 17 October 2012.
  49. Web site: The Haunted Man: Bat for Lashes . Amazon . United Kingdom . 25 December 2017.
  50. Web site: The haunted man – Bat for Lashes – CD album . . fr . 15 February 2015.
  51. Web site: The haunted man – Inclus CD – Bat for Lashes – Vinyl album . Fnac . fr . 15 February 2015.
  52. Web site: Bat for Lashes – The Haunted Man . IBS.it . it . 25 December 2017 . https://web.archive.org/web/20171225214826/https://www.ibs.it/haunted-man-cd-bat-for-lashes/e/5099932704921 . 25 December 2017.
  53. Web site: The Haunted Man: Bat for Lashes . Amazon . United States . 26 July 2012.
  54. Web site: The Haunted Man – Bat for Lashes . select "Dane szczegółowe" tab . . pl . 25 October 2012.

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