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Alas I Cannot Swim
by: Laura Marling

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Availability: Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days Binding: Audio CD
EAN: 5099951983222
Label: EMI
Manufacturer: EMI
Number Of Discs: 1
Publisher: EMI
Release Date: February 11, 2008
Studio: EMI
Sales Rank: 2925

Disc 1:

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Editorial Review:

Amazon.co.uk Review:
Reading-based songstress Laura Marling has been likened to veteran folksters Joni Mitchell and Joan Baez. Despite such hyperbolic accolades, her entry into the crowded world of young female singer-songwriters has been remarkably hushed and wonderfully organic. Having started writing songs at the age of 15, Marling's success has been achieved not by shouting, but by whispering her way through the ranks. Perhaps because of her youth--she turned 18 just before releasing this Alas, I Cannot Swim--Marling has an understated yet accomplished manner that just doesn't grate like some of her peers. Plus her songs are good--very good. Backed by imaginative arrangements from leftfield acoustic outfit Noah and the Whale, the tracks here are often coyly charming, though far from naïve. Marling digs impressively deep into all kinds of universal topics, from religion and parents to love and romance. Lead single "Ghosts" introduced to many her soft, alluring vocal style, and other songs here share the same sense of intimacy, even if they differ thematically and musically. Things are kept simple throughout (think acoustic strums and a homespun delivery), but there are subtle and beautiful contrasts throughout; the Beirut-esque carnival aura of "Crawled out of the Sea" and the brooding "Night Terror", for example, which provide darker counterpoints to airier fare like the folksy title track and the compelling "My Manic & I". Disarming yet deep, provocative yet peaceful, Alas places Marling head and shoulders above the bawlers and wailers. --Paul Sullivan

Customer Reviews

Average Rating: out of 5 stars

Rating:

- Neverending magic...
I'll admit that I shyed away from this album initially since it's not the genre of music I'd usually listen to but after one listen I couldn't have been more impressed.

The lyrics are clever and original; the melodies catchy and her voice is simply stunning.

Not a day has passed where I have failed to give at least one track on this album a listen and it's hard to stop when the songs are just so magical and captivating!
I love each and every song on the album but I think "Ghosts", "Captain and The Hourglass", "Failure" and "My Manic and I" are just that little bit extra special. Would also highly recommend giving "New Romantic" (which isn't on the album) a listen if you haven't done so already.

A ... Read More:

Rating:

- Talent to burn
I usually try to be cool, focused and objective in my reviews but, for Laura Marling's debut album, I'll make an exception. 'Cool, focused and objective' can all take a backseat while their more emotional cousin 'dribbly wide-eyed adoration' takes the wheel, puts his foot down and heads for the sunlit hills. "Alas I Cannot Swim" is gorgeous, clever, moving and absolutely packed with the most exquisite melodies. If there has been a better album released in the past twelve months then, well, I for one haven't heard it.

Absolutely everything works in harmony on this album. The lyrics are dark, inventive ("He wants to die in a lake in Geneva/The mountains can cover the shape of his nose") and haunting, focusing on the impossibility ... Read More:

Rating:

- "The real deal"
Although Laura Marling is not courting the public or mainstream media (like other singer/songwriters see Adele, Lily Allen or Kate Nash), her voice is so strong and unique that hopefully it is only inevitable that she becomes better known and doesnt just dissappear under the tide of comercialised female singers that all sound the same and demand attention and fame.

For the people who have heard her and know how good she is, it is worth having a listen to "Noah and the whale" where she adds backing vocals to some entertaining folk-pop songs.

Rating:

- Awesome and relaxing
I have an intresting music collection to say the least ranging from the likes of paramore & My chemical romance to the feeling via infernal. Thus i know a bit about modern music(not just the mainstream before you object ;)..anywho). And this album is awesome give it a few listens to sink in & your gone, she has a lovely voice and the songs are beautifully written. All round class.

Rating:

- A stunning talent is born
This is just a great, great record. I saw Laura Marling support Rufus Wainwright last year, and didn't think she was anything special, but since then she seems to have completely re-invented herself. For a young woman of 18, her lyrics are incredibly mature and engaging - just compare her to someone like Kate Nash and her mockney warbling about boy troubles, and you despair of the gulf between their public profiles. Sometimes they have a quite nightmarish quality to them - literally on Night Terror, but also in the dark fable The Captain and the Hourglass ('behind every tree is a cutting machine' gives me the shivers). They can also be very funny, though (Failure laments another musician's waste of talent: 'he lost poetic ethic, and his songs ... Read More:

Music : Alas I Cannot Swim