ARTIST:
LAURA MARLING


ALBUM:
A CREATURE I DON'T KNOW


KEY TRACKS:
SOPHIA
MY FRIENDS
ALL MY RAGE
THE MUSE

"I'm wounded by dust"

Laura Marling and I have the same problem:  we were born old.  For most, this comes across as a compliment:  "you've got everything figured out", "you're so level headed", "you're so mature".  Sometimes it is a good thing, but believe me when I say that is just as frustrating.  If this is you, than you understand it when I say you can never relate to your peers, you're wiser than your boyfriends, and you end up bearing more responsibilities than you'd like.  So what do you do?  What do you do.

There is something in Laura Marling's husky voice that hits home for me.  She's only 22 and yet there is such a sense of experience in her voice that it leaves you haunted.  Laura delves into heavy subjects like abuse, falling out of love,  feelings of hopelessness, the consequences of her choices, and guilt.  Yet however dark her subject matter, Laura Marling turns it into something exquisite.  She expresses the concept that pain too can be beautiful in its own way.  Like love, happiness, and excitement, angst too is an emotion that needs to be expressed.  However,  it is too often neglected in our behaviors.  But no matter difficult, Marling is mature enough to handle and address the lows that come along with the highs of life.


Surprisingly, A Creature I Don't Know is Laura Marling's third release and critically acclaimed as her most mature yet.  I read one review from from Pitchfork in particular that summed up my feelings about Laura Marling:  "it's not entirely clear whether these songs are springing fourth from a 21 year old Englishwoman or some deathless wandering spirit".  One listen and you'll agree that Laura's music indeed feels timeless.  This notion of a "wandering spirit" is very much present in Laura's disposition as she is incredibly poised in performance.  As she sings,  you can tell there's something deeper going on, something much more than we can know, stirring just beneath the surface.


Marling's compositions on Creature are similar in nature, mature themes swimming just below the surface of her songs.  As a result of their complexity, they really deserve more than just one listen.  My Friends is perhaps the best example of this, you can detect a surface meaning of running away but with each listen, you take something different, something more, away from it.  There are songs that are a bit more literal, like I Was Just A Card and Rest In Bed, but no less beautifully written (and taken to song) by Marling.  


Sophia, has a special place in my heart because it really shows the journey from rock bottom to a higher and happier state all in one song.  What Marling does here is fascinating because she repeats the same lyrics over and over again "I'm wounded by dust", "shy and tired eyed am I today" but with a different feel each time.  As the song progresses, the tempo becomes faster, the tone more upbeat, and soon Sophia becomes a joyous burst of powerful energy.  It's the song that reaches to you in a dark places, picks you up, and leaves you thinking "it's going to be okay".  


It's going to be okay.  That's the feeling that Laura gives.   Although her songs can be deeply sad hymns to the human condition, they still have an a underlying message of "carry on".  How exactly does this come across?  Laura says it herself:  "work more, earn more, live more, have more fun"!

LISTEN:  SOPHIA  |  MY FRIENDS  |  ALL MY RAGE  |  THE MUSE

NEXT WEEK:  MY MORNING JACKET  |  CIRCUITAL