Fur and Gold

Fur and Gold
Studio album by
Bat for Lashes
Released11 September 2006 (2006-09-11)
Recorded2006
Genre
Length46:47
LabelEcho, Manimal Vinyl
Producer
Bat for Lashes chronology
Fur and Gold
(2006) 		Two Suns
(2009)
Singles from Fur and Gold
  1. "The Wizard"
    Released: 8 May 2006[2]
  2. "Trophy"
    Released: 30 October 2006[3]
  3. "Prescilla"
    Released: 12 March 2007[4]
  4. "What's a Girl to Do?"
    Released: 9 July 2007[5]

Fur and Gold is the debut studio album by English singer Bat for Lashes. It was released on 11 September 2006 by The Echo Label.[6] It was met with critical acclaim and received a nomination for the 2007 Mercury Prize. In 2007, the album was re-released through Parlophone. Fur and Gold spawned the singles "The Wizard", "Trophy", "Prescilla", and "What's a Girl to Do?". In 2008, "What's a Girl to Do?" was re-released as a 12-inch vinyl with a remix featuring Scroobius Pip and Plaid. As of April 2009, Fur and Gold had sold 27,000 copies in United States.[7]

Background

Recorded in London and Brighton in one month,[8][9] the album was co-produced by Natasha Khan.[8] Producer David Kosten was "pleasantly shocked" that Khan was so prepared when they started working on the album because she "had pages of notes", with "each song had quotes from different films that made me think of it and different sounds and visual images and bits of poetry and drawings".[10]

Music

Journalist Garry Mulholland wrote that singer Natasha Khan and producer David Kosten "reinvent Siouxsie / [Kate] Bush/ Björk mystical sex, musical travelogue and poetic dreamstate for the contemporary singer-songwriter milieu".[11] Magic described the song "What’s A Girl To Do?" as such: "starting with an original drumbeat of the Ronettes and embracing modernity in the form of a rudimentary drum machine, before returning to its 1960's trademarks with the help of a simple drum. Not to spoil anything, the chorus irremediably evokes the divine "Arabian Knights" of Siouxsie and the Banshees".[12]

The album opener, "Horse and I", came to Khan in a dream whilst working as a nursery school teacher.[8][10] She said, "It was very vivid, and I suppose it’s a song about traveling and journeys and initiations into new places that are a bit frightening, too. All the words and the story came from that. At the time I was dreaming a lot, and I had this particularly strong dream of the horse coming to me and taking me through the forest and then to these ghosts of children singing. And there’s a crown there in this clearing, and it’s just this obvious symbol of me starting off on a journey."[10] The vocals for the track were recorded in the woods.[10]

Khan commented :

At the time someone had really pissed me off – some promoter or something – and he was really sexist and really smarmy. He made me feel really ill, so it was like ‘This is my trophy, I’m protecting it, so fuck off’. Y’know, but I don't want to be singing, like, ‘Don't touch my heart… it's soooo precious to me…’ or whatever. So I’m imagining this beautiful, precious thing – the trophy – and the landscape around it."[6]

For "Bat's Mouth", Khan said that "we all ran across a huge meadow and set up mics, like 30 mics all the way around, and we shouted backing vocals."[10] At the end of the track, "you can hear all this whooping and jubilation and girls shouting and laughing and that’s because we were probably a bit drunk at the time."[10]

Khan was inspired by JT LeRoy's novel Sarah to write the homonymous track "Sarah".[13]

The album revolves around the dream world, anthropomorphized animals, wizards, lost love and souls.[10] Khan stated that it "was very much my vivid imaginary world, which was very internal, very much based on dreams and subconscious things and imagery."[9]

20th anniversary

On 31 October 2025, Khan announced the release of a 20th anniversary remaster of the album, which was made available for streaming on the same day.[14][15] It features the original remastered album and unreleased demos from 2005-6 and live versions.[14] The album was remastered by Frank Arkwright at Abbey Road Studios.[14]

The physical copies on 180g heavyweight audiophile black vinyl as well as an expanded double CD pack were released on 6 February 2026.[15]

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic81/100[16]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[17]
The A.V. ClubB+[18]
Entertainment WeeklyA−[19]
The Guardian[20]
The Independent[21]
Los Angeles Times[22]
Pitchfork6.5/10[23]
PopMatters7/10[24]
Slant Magazine[25]
URB[26]

Fur and Gold received widespread acclaim 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 81, based on 15 reviews.[16]

Track listing

All tracks are written by Natasha Khan, except where noted.

No.TitleLength
1."Horse and I"3:04
2."Trophy"4:00
3."Tahiti"3:38
4."What's a Girl to Do?"2:58
5."Sad Eyes"4:16
6."The Wizard"4:17
7."Prescilla"3:34
8."Bat's Mouth"4:25
9."Seal Jubilee"4:44
10."Sarah"3:56
11."I Saw a Light"6:24
Total length:46:47
US edition and iTunes Store bonus track[27][28]
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
12."I'm on Fire"Bruce Springsteen3:31
Total length:48:33
20th anniversary reissue (Disc 2: Demos + Live)
No.TitleLength
1."Carrie" (Demo)4:31
2."Healing Fire" (Demo)4:18
3."Rosie" (Demo)5:07
4."Dark Time" (Demo)4:30
5."Howl" (Demo)3:37
6."Blood Red Shoes" (Demo)4:35
7."Circle Song" (Demo)3:33
8."What's a Girl To Do?" (BBC Live Lounge Version)2:57
9."Tahiti" (BBC Rob da Bank Session)3:30

Personnel

Credits adapted from the liner notes of Fur and Gold.[29]

Musicians

  • Natasha Khan – vocals, string arrangements (all tracks); keyboards (tracks 1, 2, 4, 6, 9, 10); piano (tracks 3, 5–9, 11); percussion (tracks 1, 2, 4, 6, 7, 10); drums (tracks 2, 4, 6); Hammond organ (track 5); autoharp (track 7); guitar, vibraphone (track 9); sounds (track 11); harmonium (track 6)
  • Abi Fry – viola (tracks 1, 3, 8–11); string arrangements (all tracks)
  • Caroline Weeks – autoharp (track 3); backing vocals (tracks 3, 6, 8); guitar (tracks 6–8)
  • Mary Funnell – violin (track 8); string arrangements (all tracks)
  • Anna McInerney – violin (track 8); string arrangements (all tracks)
  • Tim Byford – drums (tracks 1, 4, 10, 11)
  • Josh T. Pearson – guitar (tracks 2, 11); backing vocals (tracks 2, 9); intro vocals (track 11)
  • Ben Christophers – bass, guitar (tracks 4, 6, 10)
  • Sophie Sirota – violin (tracks 1, 2, 8)
  • Howard Gott – violin (tracks 1, 2, 8)
  • Emma Ramsdale – harp (tracks 1, 4)
  • Tim Hutton – trumpet, trombone (track 10)
  • Rachael T. Sell – backing vocals (track 10)
  • Will Lemon – spoken word intro (track 11)
  • Mikee Goodman – vocal sea sounds (track 9)
  • David Kosten – keyboards (track 9); special foot taps (track 8); additional keyboards, programming (all tracks)

Technical

  • David Kosten – production, recording, mixing
  • Natasha Khan – production
  • Tim Young – mastering

Artwork

  • Bohdan Cap – cover photo
  • Peter Moyse – band photo
  • Natasha Khan – album artwork
  • Red Design – design, layout

Charts

Chart (2007) Peak
position
French Albums (SNEP)[30] 130
Scottish Albums (OCC)[31] 64
UK Albums (OCC)[32] 48

Certifications

Region Certification Certified units/sales
United Kingdom (BPI)[33] Gold 100,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

Release history

Region Date Edition Label Ref.
United Kingdom 11 September 2006 Standard The Echo Label [34]
France 2 July 2007 EMI [35]
United Kingdom 16 July 2007 Reissue Parlophone [36]
Australia 27 July 2007 Standard
  • Spunk
  • She Bear
 [37]
United States 31 July 2007
[27]
Germany 2 November 2007 EMI [38]

References

  1. ^ Ferguson, Jason (23 October 2012). "Bat For Lashes: The Haunted Man". Paste. Retrieved 3 October 2016.
  2. ^ "Bat for Lashes – The Wizard (7")". Discogs. Retrieved 21 March 2009.
  3. ^ "Bat for Lashes – Trophy (7")". Discogs. 30 October 2006. Retrieved 22 March 2009.
  4. ^ "Release "Prescilla" by Bat for Lashes". MusicBrainz. Retrieved 22 March 2009.
  5. ^ "Release "What's a Girl to Do?" by Bat for Lashes". MusicBrainz. Retrieved 22 March 2009.
  6. ^ a b Diver, Mike (11 September 2006). "DiScover: Bat For Lashes". DrownedInSound. Retrieved 27 December 2025.
  7. ^ Smirke, Richard (11 April 2009). "Bat Out of Hell". Billboard. Vol. 121, no. 14. p. 32. ISSN 0006-2510. Retrieved 23 December 2018.
  8. ^ a b c "Bat For Lashes | Biography". batforlashes.com. Archived from the original on 13 December 2007.
  9. ^ a b Fact (24 July 2012). ""I was struggling, if I'm honest": a classic interview with Bat for Lashes, plus FACT TV episode and more". Fact Magazine. Retrieved 26 December 2025.
  10. ^ a b c d e f g Fink, Matt (26 June 2014). "Throwback Thursday: Bat For Lashes Interview from 2007". Under the Radar Magazine. Retrieved 26 December 2025.
  11. ^ Mulholland, Garry (13 August 2006). "Bat For Lashes, Fur and Gold". The Guardian. Retrieved 29 December 2020.
  12. ^ Greib, Etienne. "Fun and Gold [review]". Magic. Archived from the original on 9 November 2012. Retrieved 2 July 2020.
  13. ^ Michelson, Noah (10 June 2009). "Bat for Lashes: Redux". Out.com. Archived from the original on 28 July 2009.
  14. ^ a b c "Bat For Lashes announces 20th Anniversary reissue of her debut album, Fur and Gold". The Line of Best Fit. Retrieved 26 December 2025.
  15. ^ a b "Bat For Lashes Announces Fur And Gold 20th Anniversary Edition With Previously Unreleased Demos". stereogum.com. 31 October 2025. Retrieved 26 December 2025.
  16. ^ a b "Reviews for Fur & Gold by Bat For Lashes". Metacritic. Retrieved 3 July 2016.
  17. ^ Phares, Heather. "Fur and Gold – Bat for Lashes". AllMusic. Retrieved 14 March 2026.
  18. ^ O'Neal, Sean (31 July 2007). "Bat For Lashes: Fur And Gold". The A.V. Club. Retrieved 23 December 2018.
  19. ^ Greenblatt, Leah (10 August 2007). "Fur and Gold". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved 3 July 2016.
  20. ^ Clarke, Betty (8 September 2006). "Bat For Lashes, Fur and Gold". The Guardian. Retrieved 14 December 2016.
  21. ^ Gill, Andy (8 September 2006). "Album: Bat for Lashes". The Independent. Archived from the original on 13 October 2008. Retrieved 3 July 2016.
  22. ^ Cromelin, Richard (29 July 2007). "Druid rock. Cool. So what's next?". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 8 April 2012.
  23. ^ LeMay, Matt (8 February 2007). "Bat for Lashes: Fur & Gold". Pitchfork. Retrieved 6 September 2007.
  24. ^ Sawdey, Evan (13 September 2007). "Bat For Lashes: Fur and Gold". PopMatters. Archived from the original on 9 June 2012. Retrieved 8 April 2012.
  25. ^ Cinquemani, Sal (2 November 2007). "Bat for Lashes: Fur and Gold". Slant Magazine. Retrieved 23 December 2018.
  26. ^ Hawkins, Si (13 July 2007). "Bat for Lashes :: Fur and Gold". URB. Archived from the original on 5 October 2009. Retrieved 3 July 2016.
  27. ^ a b "Fur & Gold: Bat for Lashes". Amazon (US). Retrieved 23 December 2018.
  28. ^ "Fur and Gold by Bat for Lashes". iTunes Store (UK). Archived from the original on 17 August 2012. Retrieved 9 April 2012.
  29. ^ Fur and Gold (liner notes). Bat for Lashes. The Echo Label. 2006. ECHCD 72.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  30. ^ "Lescharts.com – Bat for Lashes – Fur and Gold". Hung Medien. Retrieved 8 April 2012.
  31. ^ "Official Scottish Albums Chart on 9/9/2007 – Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 23 December 2018.
  32. ^ "Official Albums Chart on 9/9/2007 – Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 23 December 2018.
  33. ^ "British album certifications – Bat for Lashes – Fur and Gold". British Phonographic Industry. 22 July 2013. Retrieved 11 March 2014. Select albums in the Formats field. Type Fur and Gold Bat for Lashes in the "Search:" field.
  34. ^ "Fur and Gold: Bat For Lashes". Amazon (UK). Retrieved 23 December 2018.
  35. ^ "Fur and gold – Bat for Lashes" (in French). Fnac. Retrieved 8 April 2012.
  36. ^ "Bat For Lashes: Two Suns". HMV. Retrieved 8 April 2012.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link)
  37. ^ "Fur & Gold – Bat For Lashes". JB Hi-Fi. Archived from the original on 16 February 2013. Retrieved 6 April 2012.
  38. ^ "Bat for Lashes // Fur And Gold" (in German). EMI Music Germany. Retrieved 8 April 2012.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link)
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