Laura Marling is a sonic time-traveler. Refusing to get stuck in any one period, her music harks back to the delicate introspection of 1970s British folk legend Nick Drake at one moment, recalls the unshakable cool of Pretenders-era Chrissie Hynde the next, then pulls you back to the present day with bitingly confessional lyrics and a muscular delivery.
Marling has a range that transitions easily between deep lows and airy highs, and a presence that reminds the listener that, no matter what you might assume about her based on her dainty, fine-featured appearance, this is a young woman who understands control and knows how to be in it. "I will not be a victim of romance," she sings on 2013's I Was An Eagle, "I will not be a victim of circumstance/ Chance or circumstance or romance/ Or any man/ Who could get his dirty little hands on me..."
Indeed, the English 25-year-old famously carries with her a depth and soulfulness that belies her young age. This maturity and strength of character was already there when Marling's career started in her teens — leading to multiple cries of "wunderkind" and "prodigy" from an always-adoring music press — but has now reached a philosophical zenith, with her fifth album, Short Movie. This stunning record carries the weight of a wisdom learned growing up on the road and willfully alone, but a delivery that reminds the listener that Marling is still learning. "Love seems to be some kind of trickery," she sings on "Don't Let Me Bring You Down," "Some great thing to which I am a mystery/ I'm not sure I can do it."
While she has always been well received by audiences and critics, it was Marling's fourth full-length, Once I Was An Eagle, that truly put her on the map as an artist with a long and ambitious career ahead of her. This genre-defying masterpiece spends its first half eschewing traditional structure, with each song running into the next. These are separate tales with distinct personalities, which still remain somehow connected thanks to Marling's clear tone and knack for artful streams of consciousness.
Marling isn't afraid to throw in a wink and a nod for fellow music nerds either. On "Master Hunter," she flips a Bob Dylan classic on its head for the sake of the female perspective: "You want a woman cause you want to be saved/ Well I'll tell you that I got a little lot on my plate/ Well if you want a woman who can call your name/ It ain't me babe/ No, no, no, it ain't me babe..."
Marling's is an ageless voice, unconcerned with public expectations or stylistic conformity. In a live setting, this most unusual folk singer retains an easy, effortless manner, while conveying a raw strength through her vocal undertones. Miss her at your own peril.
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