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Amongst the soul inspired song-writings of Amy Winehouse, Adele and Duffy, it is refreshing to hear a young female singer who eschews soulful huskiness and harks back to folk. In the week that saw musical royals John Martyn and Rachel Unthank & the Winterset honoured at the BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards, 18-year-old Laura Marling is leading the way for a new folk generation. With performances at Glastonbury and Later With Jools... behind her, Marling has already made a considerable dent on the music scene.
Alas I Cannot Swim is an album that embraces the elegiac sensibilities of traditional folk and forward thinking contemporary folk music. Many have likened Marling to Joni Mitchell, Joan Baez and Sandy Denny, but Marling's sound is every bit her own. On opening track Ghosts she sounds assured, her voice arresting and powerful. "Lover please do not fall to your knees, it's not like I believe in everlasting love", Marling sings, with a conviction beyond her years.
The Reading-based singer's vocals are stunning on Old Stone - a shiveringly affecting, dignified and rousing track. Tap At My Window based on a Philip Larkin poem is equally impressive. Across the album, carefully constructed instrumental lines counter her vocal, always complementing, never suffocating.
Marling switches from playfulness to deep-set sensibility with great deftness. The bright country tempo of You're No God signals a full-blown folky knees-up while references to world folk music add edge and depth; Crawled Out Of The Sea with its marching accordion and snare riff recalls another folk revivalist, Beirut. But despite the cheery optimism, there is an underside of darkness; Night Terror, a solemn march, grows via doleful drums into a stirring call-to-arms.
Faithfully rooted in a folk heritage and at times country-tinged, Alas..., like the finest folk music, pits outward-looking paeans alongside introspective song. Marling may be young, but she has substance. An enthralling listen. --Gemma Padley
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Brand New Product! Ready to despatch in 2-5 business days worldwide international delivery. Established seller since 1999.
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
92 of 95 people found the following review helpful
By Dudley Serious
VINE™ VOICE
Format:Audio CD
Female singer-songwriters are like buses (not necessarily in appearance, you understand, and I'm not naming names): you wait ages and then three turn up at once. We seem to be inundated with them at the moment, and one who deserves the spotlight but isn't getting it so much (because she hasn't been seen shooting her mouth off in public or falling out of nightclubs) is Laura Marling. Her debut "Alas, I Cannot Swim" has also been somewhat overlooked because it is not in a pop/r'n'b idiom and she doesn't sing about, well, falling out of nightclubs. She appears to draw inspiration from an earlier generation of folk-rock singers, the likes of Joni Mitchell, Melanie, Jacqui McShee (of Pentangle), Linda Thompson etc.
The subject matter of her songs is a long way removed from the infatuations of (supposedly) hip urbanites trying to buy tequila at 4.00 a.m. too. Her lyrics sound rooted in the land, influenced more by Thomas Hardy or, in modern terms, Graham Swift than by the usual Camden Town obsessions. For someone who is still a teenager she displays a very mature take on difficult subjects such as parental strife, mental illness, death. God only knows what she might have to say by the time she's twenty-five. This is not to say the album is miserable. It is quite introspective, quite melancholy, but not all sad. "You're No God" and "My Manic and I" have an austere humour and light, lilting style. "Cross Your Fingers" has an almost nursery rhyme feel. And like many nursery rhymes, if you think about it, the words are much darker than the tune. The deft, basic acoustic folk backing is augmented here and there by strings and accordion.
So "Alas, I Cannot Swim" is not a party record. You might not play it getting ready to go out on Saturday night.... Read more ›
The subject matter of her songs is a long way removed from the infatuations of (supposedly) hip urbanites trying to buy tequila at 4.00 a.m. too. Her lyrics sound rooted in the land, influenced more by Thomas Hardy or, in modern terms, Graham Swift than by the usual Camden Town obsessions. For someone who is still a teenager she displays a very mature take on difficult subjects such as parental strife, mental illness, death. God only knows what she might have to say by the time she's twenty-five. This is not to say the album is miserable. It is quite introspective, quite melancholy, but not all sad. "You're No God" and "My Manic and I" have an austere humour and light, lilting style. "Cross Your Fingers" has an almost nursery rhyme feel. And like many nursery rhymes, if you think about it, the words are much darker than the tune. The deft, basic acoustic folk backing is augmented here and there by strings and accordion.
So "Alas, I Cannot Swim" is not a party record. You might not play it getting ready to go out on Saturday night.... Read more ›
32 of 33 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
The music on Laura Marling's debut album isn't entirely what I expected but, in a different way it's a lot more than I expected. What I thought would be a quiet, subtle, poppy folk album turned out to be a bold, creative, eclectic and incredibly exciting poppy folk album. Considering how youg Laura Marling is, `Alas, I Cannot Swim', has the markings of an artist ten years older.
The lyrics are clever, interesting and at times quite thought provoking. The music is, admittely, secondary to Marling's voice but remains varied and creative enough to superseed that assumption. The focal point though, is indeed her voice. It's fantastic. Nothing more needs saying on the matter.
The majority of the tracks are pleasant, stupidly enjoyable poppy folk tracks; Old Stone, Tap At My Window, The Captain & the Hourglass. But there is the odd curveball thrown in. Ghosts is the opening track and doesn't sound quite like anything else on the album somehow and is definitley a higlight. Cross You Fingers sounds fairly upbeat but boasts the a chorus of; "cross your fingers, hold your toes, we're all gonna die when the building blows." The opening lyric to My Manic & I; "he wants to die in a lake in Geneva, where the mountains can cover the shape of his nose." Unorthodox indeed for a pop record, which intrigues me even more.
Crawled Out of the Sea is the biggest curveball and possibly the most effective; it's a kind folk shanty, complete with accordion and serves to break up the album and is even stated as an "(Interlude)".
It's my view that Marling is strongest when branching out a tad like this; where a natural eschewing of convention needs nurturing.... Read more ›
The lyrics are clever, interesting and at times quite thought provoking. The music is, admittely, secondary to Marling's voice but remains varied and creative enough to superseed that assumption. The focal point though, is indeed her voice. It's fantastic. Nothing more needs saying on the matter.
The majority of the tracks are pleasant, stupidly enjoyable poppy folk tracks; Old Stone, Tap At My Window, The Captain & the Hourglass. But there is the odd curveball thrown in. Ghosts is the opening track and doesn't sound quite like anything else on the album somehow and is definitley a higlight. Cross You Fingers sounds fairly upbeat but boasts the a chorus of; "cross your fingers, hold your toes, we're all gonna die when the building blows." The opening lyric to My Manic & I; "he wants to die in a lake in Geneva, where the mountains can cover the shape of his nose." Unorthodox indeed for a pop record, which intrigues me even more.
Crawled Out of the Sea is the biggest curveball and possibly the most effective; it's a kind folk shanty, complete with accordion and serves to break up the album and is even stated as an "(Interlude)".
It's my view that Marling is strongest when branching out a tad like this; where a natural eschewing of convention needs nurturing.... Read more ›
17 of 18 people found the following review helpful
By IWFIcon
VINE™ VOICE
Format:Audio CD
If only because Laura Marling isn't another female singer-songwriter jumping on the Amy Winehouse bandwagon this album is like a breath of fresh air.
It's also refreshing that the teenage Marling doesn't sound, lyrically at least, her age. The likes of Adele and Amy Macdonald can instantly be identified as teenagers by some of their lyrics; Marling, on the other hand has a lyrical poise that defies her tender years.
Of course all of this is both a blessing and a curse in some ways; although one cannot say that Marling has been without her well-placed hype, her folk stylings mean that she's not got half the attention that the likes of Adele or Duffy have recieved as 2008 has kicked into gear. It's understandable, mainly due to the fact that her style is not neccesarily fit for Radio 1's target audience, so it perhaps a minor miracle that she's got the mainstream airplay she has at all.
The appeal of Marling lies somewhat in her simplicity. Background noises are left in the mix and her laughter can still be heard. But don't let the simplicity fool you; this is a darker record than her "contemporaries" have delivered. Indeed the pervading theme is the expression of acute heartbreak, a theme that Marling portrays with a lyrical sense that, again, belies her years.
It's not going to appeal to everyone and it is fair to say that it lacks the "mainstream" qualities that more hyped performers bring to the table. It's also fair to say that not everything quite hits the mark either. But there is more success than there is (relative) failure and there is certainly enough to suggest that Marling is rare talent. And like the best vintage wine, there is the definite feelining that Marling is going to improve with age.
It's also refreshing that the teenage Marling doesn't sound, lyrically at least, her age. The likes of Adele and Amy Macdonald can instantly be identified as teenagers by some of their lyrics; Marling, on the other hand has a lyrical poise that defies her tender years.
Of course all of this is both a blessing and a curse in some ways; although one cannot say that Marling has been without her well-placed hype, her folk stylings mean that she's not got half the attention that the likes of Adele or Duffy have recieved as 2008 has kicked into gear. It's understandable, mainly due to the fact that her style is not neccesarily fit for Radio 1's target audience, so it perhaps a minor miracle that she's got the mainstream airplay she has at all.
The appeal of Marling lies somewhat in her simplicity. Background noises are left in the mix and her laughter can still be heard. But don't let the simplicity fool you; this is a darker record than her "contemporaries" have delivered. Indeed the pervading theme is the expression of acute heartbreak, a theme that Marling portrays with a lyrical sense that, again, belies her years.
It's not going to appeal to everyone and it is fair to say that it lacks the "mainstream" qualities that more hyped performers bring to the table. It's also fair to say that not everything quite hits the mark either. But there is more success than there is (relative) failure and there is certainly enough to suggest that Marling is rare talent. And like the best vintage wine, there is the definite feelining that Marling is going to improve with age.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
simple but great
If youre going to have angst as a songwriter i guess the best way to do it is with humour and deftness, an understanding of your material's roots, a great voice and some catchy... Read more
Published 23 days ago by anglopicker
4.0 out of 5 stars
A great debut
Though not as good as her second album (in my opinion) this is still a great debut from a very talented young artist. Well worth getting if you're into folk/songwriter music.
Published 4 months ago by Richard Creagh
5.0 out of 5 stars
Fantastic!
My personal favourite Laura Marling album. Every song is a beautiful lyrical and vocal journey, with deep, meaningful lyrics and just incredible music. Read more
Published 5 months ago by A. Keen
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great Album
I absolutely love Laura Marling. Having listened to and loved this album, I will definitely be buying the others. I recommend it very highly!
Published 6 months ago by rutharmstrong07
5.0 out of 5 stars
Wonderfull music!
Well Laura, what can I say about your music apart from it being uplifting, charming, gorgeous, sublime and simply wonderfull
fantastic album and you are one of the most... Read more
fantastic album and you are one of the most... Read more
Published 11 months ago by beretta
5.0 out of 5 stars
Beautiful
I love every single song on this album. Laura Marling has one of the most beautiful female singing voices I have ever heard, I could listen to her music every single day and never... Read more
Published 13 months ago by evechar
5.0 out of 5 stars
Wonderful
I've had this album for several years now and it has never been far from the top of the CD pile. For me, it is one of a handful of really great albums of the last decade. Read more
Published 13 months ago by Mr. John J. Hill
5.0 out of 5 stars
Alas I cannot stop listening!
Laura Marling was really a revelation to me. She is so young, yet her lyrics are so full of feeling, depth and displaying lot of personal experience (and sometimes torment as... Read more
Published 15 months ago by Susannah
5.0 out of 5 stars
Christmas request
This and another were requested and although I have no idea as to what it is like I have been advised on good authority that it was just the ticket and a worthy addition to our... Read more
Published 16 months ago by Mr. PE Scrivens
4.0 out of 5 stars
Good
I enjoyed this CD but Laura Marling's second CD remains my favourite. There are lots of great tunes and her talent is undeniable!
Published 17 months ago by jane
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