Laura Marling
Sep 19, 2011
At just 21, nu-Brit folk artist Laura Marling is already three albums into a career and with A Creature I Don't Know she is really coming into her own. Her sound is characterized by striking melodies and poetic lyricis. Her debut album Alas, I Cannot Swim and her second album I Speak Because I Can were nominated for the Mercury Music Prize in 2008 and 2010, respectively, and she won Best Female Solo Artist at the 2011 Brit Awards earlier this year.
At the age of 16 Marling moved to London, where she soon became part of a cluster of bands drawn to acoustic instruments and tradition-tinged melodies which formed a movement labeled "nu-folk" by the British press - bands such as Mumford & Sons, Noah And The Whale, Johnny Flynn and others. In fact, she became part of the original line-up of indie folk band Noah and the Whale before stepping out on her own.
For A Creature I Don't Know, Marling says here inspiration came from the work of Robertson Davies and Jehanne Wake, as well as a fascination with John Steinbeck's third wife, Elaine. She says it focuses on strength and weakness, love, hate and the complexities of desire.
"I can get fixated on an idea," Marling said in a recent interview. "It will probably start with something from a book I've found interesting, and then I'll probably think about it and then I'll have conversations with myself about it, and then obviously it seeps into my conscious and a song will be written about it."
"Sophia" is the lead track from her new album, but other songs will endear themselves to the listener after a few listens including "The Muse," "I Was Just a Card," "Night After Night," "My Friends," "All My Rage" and the powerful "The Beast."
Produced by Ethan Johns, A Creature I Don't Know is destined to take Marling's career to the next level.
"I've got the confidence now, and I know what I want to sound like," she added.
Marling is wrapping up a short tour in North America: before she returns to the U.K for dates:
- 9/20 The Troubadour, Los Angeles
- 9/22 Lincoln Hall, Chicago
- 9/23 The Great Hall, Toronto
- 9/24 Corona, Montreal
- 9/25 Brighton Music Hall, Boston
- 9/27 Sixth & I Historic Synagogue, Washington, DC
- 9/28 Webster Hall, New York
For more information, visit www.lauramarling.com