Rendering 14 (Music)

The article under analysis is published in The Telegraph under the title “Laura Marling, Once I Was An Eagle, review.” It was contributed by Neil McCormick on 23 May 2013 and takes a critical view of the modern singer Laura Marling’s new album.

The author of the article is evidently in favour of Laura and her works. In his words, there is something rare and special about her, as the singer has a poetic elegance and fluid, roots musicality and a uniqueness that makes comparison gauche, a coolly cerebral quality that maintains tension between her poised singing and playing and the deep, dark depths of her fierce and sensual songs. So, the album ‘Once I Was An Eagle’ touches places other records don’t even get close to.

Then some comment on the album itself is carried. According to McCormick, the opening is quietly audacious, seven tracks morphing one into the other so that it is almost impossible to pick them apart, riding on the thrum of Marling’s open tuned guitar and slinky finger-picked motifs, subtly shaded by Ruth De Turbeville’s cello and bursts of producer Ethan John’s percussion. In view of the aforesaid, it’s also worth mentioning that Marling has a way of speak-singing that suggests preternatural wisdom, shifting with an audacious assurance from low register conversational tones to sweetly melodious high notes, weaving vocal melodies tightly around her delicate and precise guitar. This can be proved by the fact that, broken into two sections by a distorting cello interlude, the second half of the album features eight distinct songs, on which more instruments are subtly introduced. The mood gradually lightens, suggesting a journey towards self-acceptance and romantic hope, although that makes it sound twee, and there’s nothing twee about Marling. On the contrary, there is something predatory about her, a kind of exultance in female strength, so that Marling is both beast and master hunter.

Neil McCormick concludes by saying that he can’t quite pin down this album and that is one of the most appealing things about it; moreover, it is a masterpiece, despite the fact that the singer is only 23. I should say I haven’t heard anything about Laura Marling before and, despite having read such a positive review of her album, don’t feel like listening to her songs; but it’s only my conservative opinion.