Natasha Khan (or perhaps we should call her by her alter ego, Pearl) has a unique sound, though there's definitely something of Bjork or Kate Bush about her. Her music is sparsely textured, sounding almost simplistic. Her breathy, ethereal vocal floats effortlessly over deep percussion, penetrating bass, synthesiser (often sounding like an old 80's casio keyboard) and crystalline sound effects. I often have images in my head when listening to music, especially classical. This music wouldn't sound out of place on a weird, 80's gothic fantasy film, complete with goblins, elves and nude pagan women dancing in the moonlit shadows of a bleak snowy forest...
Ok, so now I sound like a pretentious prick with an overactive imagination (who clearly needs to get out more). But what I'm trying to say is that this music is slightly odd, but in a good way - just take a look at the album cover above! The live version of Daniel illustrates my point. The use of synth church organ is reminiscent of gothic horror, which the haunting vocal and heavily reverbed percussion only add to. Yet the album version, despite a change in instrumentation, still retains this ethereal quality. Other stand-out tracks such as Glass and Two Planets continue the superbly haunting, surreal beauty of this music. It is beautiful weirdness.
4/5
