She mightn't know it, but she certainly owns it

Album: A Creature I Don't Know
Artist: Laura Marling
Label: Virgin Records
Release date: 12 September, 2011

RATING: 4/5 stars


Laura Marling has grown up. Not that she ever sounded anything but mature, but now that her age matches her wisdom, the hairs on the back of your neck have an even more valid reason to defy gravity in response to her beautifully thrilling world-weary song-craft. But it's more than maturity: after her somewhat shy debut into the music world as a solo artist, leaning on the talents of previous bandmates Noah and The Whale, Marling has emerged from her cocoon of insecurity as a fully-fledged singer-songwriter who is now presenting a sound that is entirely and unapologetically her own.

From the offset it's obvious Marling is developing into a delightfully versatile artist, choosing to explore rather than settle in the safety of previous success. With a rawness seemingly ripped from the journals of a hundred stories of desperation, defiance, betrayal, desire and internal conflict, she weaves her haunting lyrical expertise through a sophisticated and ever-increasing folk-based palette of sounds. Cheekily up-beat opening number "The Muse" sidles up slyly and evolves from a guitar/brush snare rhythm to a fearlessly jazzy strut with cello accents and jazz-standard piano licks.  "The Beast" dips into a darkness heavier than anything Marling has produced before, "Night After Night" strips things back to guitar and husky vocals, "Sophia" builds to a loping swing with breathless vocals, and the sardonic "All My Rage" gives the end of the album a carefree farewell.

Rather than keep the sweet whimsy or gutsy jangles of acoustic folk, A Creature I Don't Know is a delicious experimentation of instrumentation and timbre, filling out the compositions with baleful horns, brooding strings, ever more prominent percussion, soaring harmonies, electric guitars and even some remarkably heavy distortion - all integrated so perfectly that the attention is not rudely grasped but rather marvels at the beauty of a sound that has blossomed from bedroom ballads to songs with enough soul to fill a concert hall, yet still reach every audience member individually.

While definitely 'finished', these are not necessarily polished songs - there is a rambling quality to many that doesn't always hold the ear as successfully as I Speak Because I Can. But, contrary to the title, this is the sound of an artist who knows herself all too well and conducts such self-expression with admirable talent and fearless originality. While often less accessible than Marling's previous work, this is such a confidently personal and emotionally complex album that what it lacks sometimes in discipline, it makes up for with touching insight and raw sincerity. Marling fans will be delighted to find that the folk songstress is far from lacking in inspiration.

Is it worth my $$$? - I was mesmerised by the fresh new sound I heard from the iTunes preview and my money was as good as gone from the outset; but if you're new to Laura's work, check out some of her older stuff before deciding. This is certainly a little different.


Listen to: The Muse, Salinas, All My Rage

Laura Marling – I Speak Because I Can

 


Album: I Speak Because I Can
Artist: Laura Marling http://www.lauramarling.com/
Label: Virgin Records
Release date: March 22, 2010
Chart position/sales: (UK) GOLD

If you don’t like amazing young talent, a singer with a husky but impossibly pure voice, untamed yet elegant acoustic guitar playing, haunting melodies and rambling indie lyrics, stop reading here.

If you stopped reading there, you may need a check-up from the neck up. (I can safely say that, because obviously you are one of the cool people still reading. If you meant to stop reading but had a sneaky look at this paragraph, admit it – you’re cooler than you let on. Keep reading.) Anyway, British singer-songwriter Laura Marling is the sort of talent that makes you feel a little worried for not being successful at age 18…at the ripe old age of 20, she already has two (UK) gold albums under her belt and a bunch of fans hoping for more. After starting her career in the original line-up of indie band Noah And The Whale, Miss Marling has come a long way from her childish sweet looks to an understated haunting strength – both in her face and her voice – and is one of the most prominent performers in the English folk rock scene along with familiar names like Mumford & Sons.

I Speak Because I Can is only her second LP, following the 2008 release Alas, I Cannot Swim, but Marling is already so comfortable and masterful in her own style that you could mistake it for her 20th. Marling has described the theme of this album as “responsibility, particularly the responsibility of womanhood” (source) and displays an astonishing emotional maturity in the themes she chooses for her songs and the indie-style lyrics that describe them to us. Indie lyrics have always been something I’ve never bothered trying to decipher – they are what they are, no use pretending they adhere to any sort of familiar grammatical combinations – but Marling strings together her words of choice in a rambling yet sophisticated sort of poetry that never fails to hit home, even if they are a little cryptic at times.

This is no cutesy-singer/songwriter-arty-pop music though – Marling threads quirky, haunting melodies through a mix of folky jangling guitar patterns, wailing strings and tribal percussion to create charmingly sophisticated folk rock. There is a wild, untamed element to this music, whether it be the dangerously driving acoustic guitar riffs in the likes of “Devil’s Spoke” and (iTunes bonus track) “Nature Of Dust”, or her soaring, unbridled vocals on “Rambling Man” and the title track itself (which features backing vocals from Mumford & Sons’ Marcus Mumford). It is a beautifully balanced album, combining rougher, rockier tunes with heart wrenchingly gorgeous ballads. “Goodbye England (Covered In Snow)” pays tender tribute to Marling’s home country, while the reproachful vocal of “Hope In The Air” evokes a dark and moody side to the album.

It is difficult to find fault with this charming and mature collection of songs, whose sparkling musicality only becomes more apparent with each listening. Therefore I reacted in a considerably positive manner when I discovered that Marling’s next LP is scheduled for February this year - not a moment too soon. 4/5 stars


Listen to: Rambling Man, Goodbye England (Covered In Snow)


Is it worth my $$$? – I bought this album before I had finished writing this review and every time it ends I press replay. Judge for yourself.