No. 28: Natasha Khan Does Not Want You To Be Her Baby

noah | December 12, 2007 12:00 pm
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As evidenced by the Bat For Lashes song at No. 28, which combines Wall Of Sound drums and girl-group choruses with a real-time description of falling out of love.

I first heard–and really, really liked–Bat For Lashes’ Fur And Gold in late 2006, but for whatever reason “What’s A Girl To Do?,” Natasha Khan’s chronicle of a woman’s waning romantic feelings for her lover, didn’t really blossom in my mind until mid-2007. The video, in which Khan and a bunch of furries go all BMX, probably helped, although not because of the ickle bunnies; for me, the video succeeded because it lifted “Girl” out of the context of the album, revealing its perfect inversion of the girl-group formula. Like many songs from that era, “Girl” possesses an overall feeling of longing, but it’s different than the sadness that emanates from being rejected; instead, the minor-key “Girl,” and its windblown backing choruses, capture the slow dread that creeps over a person when they’re spurning someone who they do, deep down, care for.

Also, I feel like I would be doing all of you a disservice if I didn’t post the oddest fan-made video I’ve found for any song on my year-end list:

Tragic, ain’t it? And I’m not just talking about the plot.

Bat For Lashes – What’s A Girl To Do [YouTube] Bat For Lashes [MySpace] Idolator’s 2007 Top 40 List Of Awesomeness