ALBUM REVIEW: Laura Marling' I Speak Because I Can

When I first heard Laura Marling's Alas I Cannot Swim I was amazed that someone of such a young age could create such a fantastic album. The mature, thought-provoking lyrics, which showcased Marling's ponderings on love and life, and the beautiful musical arrangements certainly made the young girl deserving of the Mercury nomination the album received. Yesterday Marling released her second album, I Speak Because I Can, a great follow-up record that places her even more firmly in the folk genre and proves that she is more than worthy of all the praise she received when she frst emerged on the scene.

I Speak Because I Can is definitely a more grown-up effort from Marling. It is full of insightful lyrics and clever hooks like her first album, but it has a clear melancholy feel that dominates the record. Both the lyrics and the music throughout the 10-track album are of a darker, even bleaker, tone than Marling's first album. We could put this down to the fact that Marling has grown-up in the three years since her first release, but we could also look to her personal life for the explanation. It's hard to listen to Marling's new album and not hear references to her ex-boyfriend, Charlie Fink of Noah and the Whale, especially since Fink's band's latest offering detailed his and Marling's break-up in great detail. In case you don't know the history, Marling, Fink and Marcus Mumford of Mumford and Sons all go way back. They knew each other back in their school days and all emerged on the nu-folk scene in London around 2007. Marling was part of the original line-up of Noah and the Whale and appeared as a background vocalist on their debut album Peaceful, the World Lays Me Down. Marling released her debut abum the same year, which was produced by Fink and also featured both him and Mumford. During these events Marling and Fink were linked romantically and were apparantly inseperable; living together, working together, touring together and so on. Eventually it all became too much and the young lovers parted ways. Marling is now apparently dating Mumford. Hmmm... It's quite difficult not to draw comparisons between I Speak Because I Can and Noah and the Whale's The First Days of Spring; both albums deal with the various stages in the decay of a relationship and both album's lyrics are going to encourage discussions on the relationship between Marling and Fink. The difference between the two however is that while Fink lays everything about the relationship bare in the most honest and public way, Marling chooses to veil her emotions by using characters to express herself rather than writing about herself directly. But her feelings still resonate clearly.

Marling's sound has certainly advanced; I Speak Because I Can, while still mainly guitar based, makes much greater use of banjo, piano and strings to deliver something very, very special. The production of the album seems to be more polished, owed in great part to the switch from Fink to Kings of Leon producer Ethan Johns. Marling's voice has also improved since her debut release, developing a much richer, deeper and even huskier tone yet still maintaining that beautiful clarity that made her so appealing in the beginning. Marling's maturity is evident in her vocals; she sounds more confident and that slight nervousness we heard in her first album has disappeared. The change in tone is obvious from the first track on the album; "Devil's Spoke" is a raging acoustic track layered with unrelenting guitar and banjo. Marling's voice is bolder and tempered, especially in the chorus lines: “All of this can be broken / All of this can be broken / Hold your devil by his spoke and spin him to the ground”. It's a great start to the album. In "Made By Maid", Marling's lightly husky voice breaks the surface of a beautiful and floaty folk melody. Third track "Rambling Man", due to be the next single release from the album in early May, relies heavily on acoustic guitar as it opens, with much of the focus on Marling's stunning voice. The song eases into pretty and layered harmonies and the pace soon builds and builds before storming into some beautiful orchestration. There's some great lyrics in this track: “It’s hard to accept yourself as someone you don’t desire / As someone you don’t want to be." "Blackberry Stone", with lyrics like “ You never did learn to let it go / You never did learn how to see”, will probably draw most people's minds back to Marling's relationship with Fink. It's a beautifully fragile track that explores the aftermath of a failed relationship, supported by soaring vocals, gentle guitar and a touch of bass, drums and violin. Filled with anxious violins and Russian infusions, "Alpha Shallows" is definitely the most intense track on the album. A big move from her usual fluid guitar, this track is proof that Marling has made some significant developments in her sound. And it works. "Goodbye England (Covered In Snow)" was the first single to appear off Marling's new album back in December. This song sees Marling take on a much more brighter outlook, exploring the English countryside and memories of her childhood days spent with her father. Death rears its head briefly but overall the track is oh-so-sweet with its lovely melody and romantic violin. More great lyrics to ooh and aah over here: “I tried to be a girl who likes to be used / I’m too good for that / There is a mind under this hat” Marling's mood soon switches from sweet back to serious however with "Hope in the Air". Don't let it fool you; the title may sound positive and, well, hopeful but with lyrics like “no hope in the air, no hope in the water” you are quite quickly set straight. Again focusing on the battles that one faces in a relationship, this song explores Marling's concerns with love and life after love. "What He Wrote" is said to be inspired by wartime love letters that Laura read in a newspaper. The song has a waltz-like rhythm to it and boasts some beautifully delicate vocals from Marling. "Darkness Descends" is gentle in its start with beautiful harmonies, but soon build into a jangly and catchy number. Definitely the most upbeat track on the album. Closing (and title) track, "I Speak Because I Can",  is apparently a retelling of the story of Odysseus, but from his wife’s perspective. Marling's vocals really take centre stage on this track, with the orchestration taking a step back. Again, some great lyrics here and Marling's delivery is powerful.

I couldn't dislike any of the ten tracks on I Speak Because I Can. Marling has strung together a bunch of elegant songs with great emotional depth, infused them with the folk traditions of her homeland, and really showcased her progression as a songwriter. Her new album, for me, certainly confirms her as one of the most gifted and original songwriters out there today. In fairness, there's not many artists out there making music as powerful and thought-provoking. Marling is a singer-songwriter who is wholly committed to her work. This adds to her appeal as you really feel that she is the type of person who's not going to sell out for wealth or fame. It's the music, and getting that music out there, that is most important to her. In an interview with the Times Online Marling had this to say: "...And I wouldn’t give up the music that I make for anything. I couldn’t even if I wanted to; the songs that I write aren’t up to me.” (Read the interview here.)

I Speak Because I Can is out now. "Rambling Man" will be the next single to be released from the album, on 10th May, and you can watch the brand new HD video, filmed on Brighton beach, at Marling's website from today. For those of you that haven't picked up a copy yet, the Times Online are currently streaming the full album here. Marling plays The Academy, Dublin, on Saturday 10th April. For further tour dates visit here.

Laura Marling- Devil's Spoke