On her fourth release, Laura Marling pushes to refine a sound that first emerged on her precocious debut, Alas, I Cannot Swim. At only 23, the former Noah and the Whale co-vocalist has been somewhat patronizingly described by many reviewers as "wise beyond her years." Since this reviewer is not beyond Marling's years, he cannot vouch for the maturity of her attitudes toward relationships (poetically cynical and caustically reflective), though he can compliment the maturity of her music. Marling may or may not have required wisdom those at her age rarely obtain, but she has certainly learned to write compelling songs.
Once I Was An Eagle begins subtly, sliding invisibly between the low-key soul of "Take the Night Off" into the linked "I Was An Eagle" and "You Know." By the fourth track, however, the record's quiet introspective trickle bursts into something bigger and badder. "Master Hunter" sounds as though it could have received a brilliant Jimi Hendrix cover had it surfaced in the sixties. Although the thematic inversion of the following track, "Little Love Caster," serves as a foil to the sneering confidence of "Master Hunter," it expands instead of diminishes the resonance of the earlier folk-rock gem.
The frantic swell of "Devil's Resting Place" with its emphatic chorus of "Water won't clean you" brings the album to a feverish mid-point peak. Though a jazzy interlude then divides the record, the second half of Once I Was An Eagle partially retains the incisive excellence of the first. The use of countrified organ on the simultaneously peppy and desperate "Where Can I Go?" and the more lounge-like "Once" continues the album's Noah's Ark-like habit of presenting songs in "two-by-two" couplings. Consistent lyrical strength and musical grace aside, Once I Was An Eagle Part II contains few stand-out songs until its immensely satisfying, horn-laced finale, "Saved These Words."
Carrying images of devils, naive lovers, and birds of all sizes to its soaring conclusion, the record takes bold Joni Mitchell-esque dips and turns throughout. At sixteen tracks, Once I Was An Eagle is an impressive songwriting feat for any artist (regardless of age). Laura Marling has solidified her reputation as the most polished and profound member of the alleged British "Nu-Folk" movement. As her nuanced winning streak rolls onward, Marling continues to impress with her smoky voice, melancholy wit, and restless, roving mind.
Grade: B+
Once I Was an Eagle is Marling's fourth album. You may want to do a little bit of research into an artist before attempting to make sweeping reviews of their work.
Also, the sound on this album hardly emerged on her debut. She was 16 when recording Alas I Cannot Swim. Since then she has been making slow and gradual steps into her own individual sound album by album.
Anna, Ryan is the worst human being ever for this mistake
If that's sarcasm (which I'm assuming it is) I never intended to imply that he had done something incredibly offensive by making an error. I'm sorry if it came across this way, I just thought that it was a correction worth making.