What does it sound like?:
Laura Marling’s sixth album has women at its centre. The word ‘he’ doesn’t appear at all; almost every song features a woman as its subject. The ‘she’ of these songs could be lovers, friends, rivals, mothers, women seen from afar, the singer herself. The songs constantly move between first and third person, and they may be the same person, or they may not.
The title Semper Femina is Latin for ‘always a woman’. She is at different times strong, vulnerable, suffering a broken love affair, feeling the rejection of a friend, taking inspiration from another woman, worrying about the planet, worrying that she is doomed to repeat the same mistakes throughout her life. She is ‘fickle and changeable’, but Marling takes that phrase from the classical Roman poet Virgil and defiantly co-opts it as a slogan for life:
You’ll be anything you choose/
Fickle and changeable are you/
And long may that continue.
Time and again Marling shows the ability of a short story writer to create a whole character, or situation in one or two lines
I know she stayed in town last night/
Didn’t get in touch
You want to get high?/
You overcome those desires/
Before you come to me
I’d like to say I could have stayed/
But she didn’t want me to
So this is certainly a record with serious intent, but it is anything but ponderous. It’s delivered with Marling’s trademark breathy voice, sometimes spoken, sometimes floating high. Her confidence and strength of voice, and her ability to get underneath and interpret her lyrics have grown immeasurably since her early records. She’s singing above often strongly rhythmic arrangements of acoustic and electric guitar, bass, drums and the occasional understated string arrangement.
Marling’s melodies tend to be straightforward and she owns the songs so much that you can’t imagine many of them being covered by others. That said, Don’t Pass Me By, Next Time, and above all Always This Way are certainly good enough to have a life beyond these recordings.
Marling’s work has evolved and deepened rather than made step changes. She hasn’t shown the same leaps on her first records that her idols Joni Mitchell did from Song to a Seagull to Court and Spark, or Bob Dylan from his first record to Highway 61 Revisited. But over nine years she has a built a consistently impressive body of work of which this record is a fine example. Who knows what she can do in the next nine? She’s capable of almost anything, and it’ll be fascinating to see.
What does it all *mean*?
‘Twenty five years and nothing to show for it
Nothing of any weight’, sings Laura Marling. This record is just one piece of evidence that means this is obviously not true in her case.
Goes well with…
The third wave of feminism
Release Date:
Might suit people who like…
Thoughtful, intelligent, slightly folky singer songwriters. If you like what you’ve heard before from Laura Marling you’ll like this; if you don’t this won’t convert you.
Blue Boy says
mikethep says
That is just beautiful. Off to iTunes now – thanks for the review.
The Twitter AW feed wondered if I’d like to translate your OP title from the Italian, by the way…
Gatz says
I loved her first, was less impressed by the second, tuned out after the third, but caught up with her again for Short Movie. I’m away on holiday right now so I haven’t heard this yet, and I’ll also miss her London gig. When she played London last tear I was also otherwise engaged as we had tickets for another gig; I’m starting to take her avoidance of me personally.
Blue Boy says
Saw her in Manchester on Sunday; superb stuff. I’d say her best record thus far is actually her fourth, I Was an Eagle – it’s little short of a masterpiece.
JustB says
I didn’t really enjoy Once I Was An Eagle, or its predecessor. For me it’s been all about the first two, and then she won me back with Short Movie.
This once sounds really promising.
Baron Harkonnen says
Excellent review BB. I have all LM`s albums, don`t have one I can place above the others, they all have something I love about them. I haven`t heard any of the new songs yet including `Next Time` (above) as I`ve ordered the vinyl S.E. and want to hear it in full when it arrives. That`s how I like to hear the albums I buy, first time is at home.
Tiggerlion says
I’m still in two minds. It sounds gorgeous but are there any actual tunes I can whistle? Does Blake Mills production style enhance or detract?
Gatz says
I finally bought it yesterday and have played it (and the live version with came with it from HMV) a couple of times over today. I agree about the tunes. The first track had me thinking that I was in for a record full of hooks, but maybe not. It certainly makes a lovely sound though.
Locust says
I’ve certainly been humming a few tracks off it at work all week long (I can’t whistle very well). It’s a lovely album, IMO (but not quite her best).
Tiggerlion says
Which do you think is her best, @Locust?
Locust says
Once I Was An Eagle is the one for me.
Tiggerlion says
It is for a few people I know.
Blue Boy says
I’m not sure Marling is ever really about the tunes, other than maybe one or two songs per album. The killer for me on this one is Always This Way – that rising and falling melody on the verses is just gorgeous. If I could whistle, I reckon I’d whistle that one. As for the production I like it a lot – it adds texture whilst allowing plenty of space for Marling’s vocals.
Tiggerlion says
I think Blake is a master of space. His work for The Alabama Shakes last album is astonishing.
anton says
The new Jesca Hoop album he produced is v v good also.
Tiggerlion says
Last year’s We’re All Gonna Die by Dawes is equally well produced. Besides creating space, I love the dynamic tension.
Blue Boy says
Acually hadn’t realised he produced that record, but makes absolute sense now you mention it – fantastic sounding record, which brilliantly enhances and supports the material. Have heard a track or two of the Jesca Hoop record, must check it out properly.