laura marling - once i was an eagle

new album, new thread

stream here http://www.guardian.co.uk/music/musicblog/2013/may/20/laura-marling-once-was-eagle-stream?CMP=twt_gu

Liking this a lot, but boy this is long. Had to stop at the 10th track, I'll resume later.

After hearing The Beast a couple of years ago, I was really hoping she'd move further in that direction, but this is all very repetitive and samey. It's exactly the direction I didn't want her to go in :/

bill callahan must be so jealous

this album was a huge disappointment for me. a few - only a few - stand-out tracks, like "master hunter", but otherwise mostly blah, and very long

well, i don't know about you guys but i love this. i like "the beast" but it sort of strays a little too much into pj harvey pastiche for me and i don't think i personally would've enjoyed a whole album in that style, nor would it have been a great look for laura. i think the opening medley here might be her best work yet. she sings everything so wisely and with so much portent, as if she is a hundred (i know she's kind of always done that, but the exhilarated-blazing-sad-eyes quotient seems to have been taken to a new height here). most of the stuff after the string interlude is sunnier and happier and looser and i guess she could have trimmed some of this section down, but i'm definitely not going to object to an hour of new laura material especially when the songwriting and production (those electric guitars on love be brave!) is all fairly decent

Count me as loving this as well. The whole album is pretty solid and over half the tracks have stunning moments. The recent album it reminds me of the most is Joanna Newsom's Have One on Me.

She's playing in my town tonight. Tempted to go.

this album is brilliant.

her best work i'd say

Haven't really got into it yet, but I like the subtle Beatles-in-Rishikesh vibe to some of the tracks.

i've had this for a while now, so i've had a pretty extended "attempting to get into this with repeated listens, failing" phase. it's just so muted and rambling, i know she's always been a pretty self-contained and subtle performer but she recedes so far into what are mostly quite samey and unexciting arrangements that it has the effect of fading her songwriting way too much as well - if there's clever or emotional stuff there, it's like she doesn't want us to notice

i mean, i like "master hunter" a lot, but it reeeeeally sticks out

Gonna give this another go at a more appropriate time (ie Sunday morning). A lot of it has a kind of mild Zeppelin folk vibe, with the emphasis on the mildness. It improves in the second half I think but I miss the diversity of moods on the earlier albums.

Only one listen in, and I don't know how the length and the lack of variety is going to play on future listens, but I was pretty much transfixed for the entire 16-track, hour+ thing. The whole opening four song suite (essentially), culminating with "Master Hunter" is particularly striking.

Also, Katherine St. Asaph wrote an excellent review.

a katherine review of a laura marling album is exactly what i wanted to read right now, thanks for posting!

I've given this a couple of shots, and really it's like one looooooong song. Don't have a problem with that but yeah, it will cut down on my future listens since it's such a commitment. Reminds me a lot of Nick Drake at times, Sany Denny, sometimes, also a little of Jeff Buckley, of all things.

I like this song a lot - wonder why it was left off the album. I guess maybe she hadn't written it yet.

http://youtu.be/Hf0-tbc1IuY

yeah she has a habit of putting out an album and then suddenly playing even newer songs live. if you look at setlists around the time of alas i cannot swim, for instance, you'll see half the i speak because i can tracklist.

I saw her open for Andrew Bird last April (that's April 2012) and was wholly underwhelmed. I mean I could clearly see that she was good at what she does, but it just did not play well to a theater of 2000 people.

The way she rocked her head back in between lines bugged me as well. That sort of thing is really only appropriate when everyone knows the words.

Jeff Buckley's not a strange comparison at all; I got a massive, massive Buckley vibe from The Beast off the last album.

Love the new(er) song!

ok. this is something

i can't believe she's only 23

katherine st. asaph really bringing it this year too

Anyone read about, see pictures of (or even go to) that recent Secret Cinema - fancy hotel, 1920s fancy dress, 'immersive experience', etc - gig? I briefly considered going but it looked a bit... much.

still love this album

agree that those "immersive" shows sounded a bit gross but i guess if you were willing to commit it might've been fun

katherine's review is probably one of the best pieces of music writing i've read this year <3

thanks! album is still great

The 4-part suite that opens this is top-notch. After that, it's a bit more uneven and maybe could have used a bit of editing. Still like it though.

Am trying to love this album and that's always the point where I start to fall away.

Not related: I don't like her blond hair.

'Master hunter' sounds like Fiona Apple singing a Days of the New song

I'm still really liking the album, but am not yet at the point where I can differentiate most of the songs from each other.

i think smog and nina nastasia fans ought to be listening the shit out of this thing

saw her a few weeks ago, she was lovely as always

Just gets better with each listen.

extra bonus thrill from anti-mumford spite for hippies

this album is tremendous

i'm pretty blown away, could not believe that she's only 23 or 24

i think smog and nina nastasia fans ought to be listening the shit out of this thing

― j., Sunday, August 11, 2013 3:40 PM (5 months ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

i don't know who nina nastasia is but otm re: smog

ilx search m8, get familiar, 'on leaving' (w/ dirty three's jim white on drums) is my fave but nastasia stans prefer the more gothy songwritery ones

Seconding j.: The Blackened Air, Outlaster, and the Jim White collaboration have some of Albini's strongest engineering work and an autumnal sound comparable to Smog's Red Apple Falls or the Marling album.

yeah i'm finally spending some q.t. with this and it's crazy good

Yeah, I was surprised to see how many people on ilx that stanned for her previous albums were jumping off the train with this one. As much as I've loved her other albums, I think this is easily the best thing she's done.

yea i agree. i wasn't familiar with her prior to this album but lately i've been listening to pretty much everything she's done. her previous work is good and pleasant enough but 'once i was an eagle' is an immense leap forward

I need to give this one another go because there does seem to be a divide between people who think this is far and away her best album and those who think it's her worst. I'm in the latter category for now.

bill callahan must be so jealous

― well if it isn't old 11 cameras simon (gbx), Monday, May 20, 2013 2:51 PM (8 months ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

also anyone know if the title is in fact a bill callahan reference? i didn't assume so but i've heard it mentioned here and there

This is the first album of hers to convince me that she's the real deal. So confident and forceful and uninhibited.

It's still growing on me, perhaps more than any other 2013 album.

New album Short Movie out March 23. Title track is the first single. It's good!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DdCdT_dcmUI

yep! more discussion here: Anticipate Laura Marling's fifth LP: Short Movie.

she any good live?

yes. stoked for her may 20 brooklyn show

I've seen her live maybe 5 or 6 times. she never disappoints.

usually plays unreleased or brand new songs too

Love her new one. Top 10 of this year. Some midway point between Judee Sill and Fiona apple. A gorgeous and unassuming record, a comfort in the bleakest times.

This one didn't have a standout track that grabbed me on first listen like the previous few had, but it has held up and even improved on repeated listens. It may be her most cohesive set of songs yet - helped somewhat by being judiciously limited to 9 tracks.

"The Valley" is the definite standout for me.

The closing track is probably my favorite, but the whole 2nd half is very strong.