The Haunted Man

Bat For Lashes

The Haunted Man

Pop singer-songwriter Natasha Khan's third album, produced by David Kosten and Dan Carey, and leaning towards orchestral and electronic ballads

ADM rating[?]

7.6

Label
Parlophone
UK Release date
15/10/2012
US Release date
22/10/2012
  1. 10.0 |   Art Rocker

    This record deservedly sits alongside the mercury prize nominees ‘Fur and Gold’ and ‘Two Suns’ and it might just be a case of third time lucky for Miss Khan
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  2. 9.1 |   Pretty Much Amazing

    A stark, inventive and sublime work from a maturing artist who finally seems to have caught up to her considerable gifts
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  3. 9.0 |   Loud And Quiet

    Khan continues to sing like her life depends on it, like she’s exorcising some deeply burrowed demons
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  4. 9.0 |   The Line Of Best Fit

    An excellent album, possessed with enough innovation to carry Bat For Lashes forward without disturbing the flickering half-light that their sound inhabits
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  5. 8.7 |   Beats Per Minute

    She’s taken a large risk that has turned into a tremendous work of art
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  6. 8.5 |   Under The Radar

    It's a heartbreaker on every spin
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  7. 8.5 |   PlayGround

    So far, what Bat For Lashes lacked was singles for mass consumption. Here, there are two
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  8. 8.4 |   Pitchfork

    Some albums sound effortless. The Haunted Man sounds like effort magnificently realized
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  9. 8.0 |   DIY

    The sound of pop’s dark heart carving out its own niche and cementing Khan’s status as one of our most inventive, ambitious artists
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  10. 8.0 |   Spin

    The Haunted Man is perhaps strongest in its simplest moments
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  11. 8.0 |   State

    An album that signifies a new path for her as an artist without eschewing her previous work
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  12. 8.0 |   Entertainment.ie

    A brilliantly compelling body of work, and definitely one of the more interesting albums you’ll listen to this year
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  13. 8.0 |   God Is In The TV

    A delight to listen to and exactly what is needed on these chilly nights
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  14. 8.0 |   musicOMH

    There are few artists around who can match Bat For Lashes for consistency. Pressure or no pressure, she always seems to deliver
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  15. 8.0 |   Evening Standard

    Confirms her as one of our most interesting songwriters
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  16. 8.0 |   Independent on Sunday

    It's a skilled blend of the organic and the electronic, and if these lashes have previously fluttered – and flattered – to deceive, this is the real deal
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  17. 8.0 |   The Fly

    The Haunted Man’ requires your complete attention: no more than Natasha Khan deserves
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  18. 8.0 |   Q

    Brings a substance and heft to her ideas that actually complement her usual idiosyncrasies. Print edition only

  19. 8.0 |   Mojo

    This album elicits a powerful aura, which continues to resonate potently several hours, even days, after the last note has died. Print edition only

  20. 8.0 |   NME

    After three years away, it's a semi-stonking return
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  21. 8.0 |   The Guardian

    A bold, confident album that strips away a lot of the sonic embellishments from Khan's sound
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  22. 8.0 |   PopMatters

    Somehow blends such incongruous elements of state-of-the-art electronics, hand-crafted orchestral parts, and eclectic left-field touches so seamlessly that you wouldn’t think they couldn’t go together
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  23. 8.0 |   The Quietus

    By the closing 'Deep Sea Diver''s oceanic drift of kosmische lunar synths, you get the feeling Khan has truly emerged as one of modern pop's most thrilling voices
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  24. 8.0 |   Prefix

    When she gives her narrative a concrete setting, she’s giving beauty a purpose. On The Haunted Man, the purpose is to ensnare the listener at all costs
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  25. 8.0 |   All Music

    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
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  26. 8.0 |   The AU Review

    The Haunted Man is sexy, emotional and feels like it is incredibly personal
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  27. 8.0 |   No Ripcord

    Dense and ambitious enough lyrically and varied enough musically to reward repeated listens
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  28. 8.0 |   Consequence Of Sound

    The vocals are the most powerful and versatile instrument in the Bat for Lashes toolbox, and on The Haunted Man, they are at the forefront like never
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  29. 7.0 |   The Arts Desk

    Scores big on enigmatic, spooky atmosphere, less well on clarity or depth
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  30. 7.0 |   Uncut

    In the past Khan laboured in the long shadows of her obvious influences; on The Haunted Man she's exorcised some of these ghosts and gone some way to becoming her own woman
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  31. 7.0 |   Drowned In Sound

    There’s an overwhelming normalcy to this record, which is quite surprising for someone who has always seemed so bracingly unconventional
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  32. 7.0 |   Slant Magazine

    Worthy, often gorgeous entry in the Bat for Lashes canon
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  33. 7.0 |   Rolling Stone

    There are cameos by Dave Sitek and Beck. But the visions here seem all her own. And they're pretty awesome
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  34. 6.7 |   A.V. Club

    The downside to The Haunted Man being so meticulous is that its songs often feel detached, as though Khan is performing rather than inhabiting the deeply emotional music
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  35. 6.7 |   Bowlegs

    Feels like an over-step into sophistication – the classy production filtering out every ounce of emotion in favour of glacial perfection
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  36. 6.0 |   The Independent

    Her singing can be short-changed by arrangements that fuss to no great purpose, dissipating their impact in brittle beats and pointless detail
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  37. 6.0 |   The Observer

    For all its lush, arty, boho womanscapes, The Haunted Man does not deal the killer blow of originality that by now Khan should have in her power
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  38. 6.0 |   The Scotsman

    An album which lacks hooks to hang on to or songs capable of leaving a lasting impression
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  39. 6.0 |   The Irish Times

    While The Haunted Man is not as half-lit and intricate as 2006’s Fur and Gold, or 2009’s Two Suns, it swells with a more expansive sound
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  40. 6.0 |   Daily Telegraph

    Despite occasionally drawing blood, The Haunted Man doesn’t live up to its stripped and dangerous cover, often retreating to gambol about in the backwaters of Khan’s imagination
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  41. 6.0 |   Clash

    The hallmarks of Bat For Lashes are all present - dramatic string arrangements, brooding electronic soundscapes, and lyrics preoccupied with mythology and spirituality
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  42. 6.0 |   The Skinny

    A well-written, superbly-composed collection of modern pop music, and a natural evolution of Khan's palette
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  43. 6.0 |   BBC

    While The Haunted Man is an impressive record, one heavy with earnestness and polished sophistication, it’s more like The Tin Man: somehow it lacks a heart
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  44. 6.0 |   Paste Magazine

    A disappointingly tepid album... it seems now that Khan’s ambition is less about grandiose concept albums (such as Two Suns) than it is about cashing in her credibility for more widespread acclaim
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