Fur and Gold

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. 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.^[6]

Fur and Gold
Studio album by Bat for Lashes
Released	11 September 2006 (2006-09-11)
Recorded	2006
Genre	Folktronica[1]
Length	46:47
Label	Echo, Manimal Vinyl
Producer	Natasha Khan David Kosten
Bat for Lashes chronology
Fur and Gold (2006) Two Suns (2009)
Singles from Fur and Gold
"The Wizard" Released: 8 May 2006[2] "Trophy" Released: 30 October 2006[3] "Prescilla" Released: 12 March 2007[4] "What's a Girl to Do?" Released: 9 July 2007[5]

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".^[7] 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".^[8]

Critical reception

Professional ratings

Aggregate scores
Source	Rating
Metacritic	81/100[9]
Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[10]
The A.V. Club	B+[11]
Entertainment Weekly	A−[12]
The Guardian	[13]
The Independent	[14]
Los Angeles Times	[15]
Pitchfork	6.5/10[16]
PopMatters	7/10[17]
Slant Magazine	[18]
URB	[19]

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.^[9]

Track listing

No.	Title	Length
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

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

US edition and iTunes Store bonus track^[20][21]

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
12.	"I'm on Fire"	Bruce Springsteen	3:31

Personnel

Credits adapted from the liner notes of Fur and Gold.^[22]

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)[23]	130
Scottish Albums (OCC)[24]	64
UK Albums (OCC)[25]	48

Certifications

Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
United Kingdom (BPI)[26]	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	[27]
France	2 July 2007		EMI	[28]
United Kingdom	16 July 2007	Reissue	Parlophone	[29]
Australia	27 July 2007	Standard	Spunk She Bear	[30]
United States	31 July 2007		Caroline Manimal Vinyl	[20]
Germany	2 November 2007		EMI	[31]