FEATURE:
Master Hunter
The Magnificent Laura Marling: The Playlist
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I do quite a few playlists and, whilst I did…
not want to put it in large print at the top of this article, I am marking Laura Marling’s thirtieth birthday (she turns thirty on 1st February). I feel more comfortable mentioning men’s ages, but I wasn’t sure if it was that tactful, despite the fact she is still in her twenties! I wanted to put a playlist together, as Marling is an artist who has not put a foot wrong! I mentioned on Twitter how, in spite of the fact she has a few albums under her solo belt (and one as part of LUMP), Laura Marling has not received a bad review. That is a feat for any artists but, look at each of her albums, and there is so much imagination, poetic brilliance and emotion throughout. Listening to a Laura Marling album is almost like reading a novel or watching a film, so immersive and stunning is the music. Her sixth studio album, Semper Femina, was released in 2017 – to, of course, critical acclaim! -, and she released the eponymous LUMP album with Mike Lindsay in 2018. I wonder whether there are any plans for this year and whether we might see a seventh solo album. Although Marling has been on this unbroken streak of excellence, there is no pressure on her shoulders to keep up this quality because, unless she goes completely off-tangent or changes musical direction, she will continue to produce the same startling and memorable music she has since Alas, I Cannot Swim in 2008 – she was barely eighteen (her birthday was a few days before) when that debut came into the world. Rather than share my opinions on Laura Marling, I felt it best to put together a selection of her very best songs to mark her thirtieth birthday. Here is an artist who has not put a creative foot wrong and, to be I honest, I don’t think…
SHE ever will.