Laura Marling - Semper Femina
Laura Marling - Semper Femina
Laura Marling! I'm a big fan, like a really big fan. I think Once I Was An Eagle is maybe the best record that came out in 2013, and that everything she's put out before and since is nearly as great. Of all the singer-songwriters currently producing records, she is the one whose songwriting has the most richness, the most thought, the most generosity of spirit. Her heart and wisdom are wide and deep, and they encompass a variety of emotions, personalities, and points of view.
Semper Femina is an advancement in her sound, although more in part than in whole. There's deeper bass and drum, it's more rhythmic and primal than her previous work. There's also increase in smokiness and mystery, with strings that are sometimes haunting and sometimes stately and regal. There's a few tracks here that are more indebted to Nick Drake than I think she's ever been before. It's more minimal basically, and she pulls it off extremely well.
You're probably barking up the wrong tree trying to get a measured, unbiased opinion from someone who loves her as much as I do - but to me this is as much a masterpiece as Eagle was. Listen to it.
Stream in full below via YouTube.
Highlights: Soothing • Don't Pass Me By • Nouel
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