Name: Alas I Cannot Swim by Laura Marling
Brand: Laura Marling
SKU: 5099951688059
Price: 9.9 USD
Availability: OnlineOnly
Rating: 3.5 (84 reviews)

ALBUM Explicit

Due to her youth (16 when she first hit Myspace, 17 when signed to an imprint of EMI, and 18 when her debut album came out), perky-cute looks and extremely British diction, singer/songwriter Laura Marling got a lot of comparisons to Lily Allen in her early buzz, but the quietly compelling Alas I Cannot Swim is not at all a frothy pop confection. A folk-tinged AAA pop record based on Marling's alluringly husky voice and graceful acoustic guitar, Alas I Cannot Swim would be more aptly compared to the likes of Feist, Keren Ann, or Regina Spektor. (In the album's press kit, Marling reveals her primary influence to be Bonnie "Prince" Billy, which also seems appropriate.) Although not to draw too forbidding a comparison, opening track and first single "Ghosts" is most strongly reminiscent of Joni Mitchell circa For the Roses, both in Marling's expressive vocal phrasing and the expert shifts in the arrangement between solo acoustic passages and full-band sections, not to mention an excellently deployed string section. That old-school '70s singer/songwriter vibe predominates throughout the album, in fact. There's one straight-up pop song here, the deceptively chipper-sounding "Cross Your Fingers" ("...hold your toes/We're all gonna die when the building blows" continues the sweetly sung chorus), but aside from that, Alas I Cannot Swim is the kind of album that takes a couple of listens for its charms to completely sink in. Rather than swath every track in prominent, ear-grabbing hooks, Marling and producer Charlie Fink choose to keep the decorations off in the distance on songs like "The Captain and Hourglass," where swells of pedal steel stay buried deep in the mix under Marling's hypnotic guitar line and quietly insistent vocals. There's every chance that Laura Marling will get lost in the shuffle as the unexpected commercial success of Feist's The Reminder leads major labels to unleash hordes of similarly talented female singer/songwriters, but Alas I Cannot Swim is far better than the average coffee house-endorsed girly pop.
© Stewart Mason /TiVo

1. Ghosts

by Laura Marling

Primary Artist: Laura Marling; Main Performer
Acoustic Guitar: Charlie Fink
Laura Marling; Performer
Lyricist: Laura Marling
Tom Hobden; Composer
Background Vocals: Tom Hobden
Charlie Fink
Guy Katsav
Marcus Mumford; Performer
Mixing: Guy Katsav; Production
Recording Assistant: Anna Tjan; Production
Bass ( Vocal): Charlie Fink; Performer
Composer: Tom Hobden
Laura Marling; Composer
Bass (vocal): Charlie Fink; Performer
Drums: Marcus Mumford; Performer
Harpsichord: Charlie Fink; Performer
Percussion: Marcus Mumford; Performer
Performer: Laura Marling
Guy Katsav
Charlie Fink
Tom Hobden
Marcus Mumford; Performer
Piano: Charlie Fink; Performer
Violin: Tom Hobden; Performer
Vocals: Laura Marling; Performer
Strings Arrangement: Tom Hobden; Composer
Engineer: Guy Katsav; Production
Mastering Engineer: Guy Davie; Production
Producer: Charlie Fink; Production
Studio Personnel: Guy Katsav
Anna Tjan
Guy Davie; Production
Composer Lyricist: Laura Marling
Tom Hobden; Other

2. Old Stone

by Laura Marling

Acoustic Guitar: Laura Marling
Charlie Fink; Performer
Background Vocals: Marcus Mumford; Performer
Composer: Laura Marling; Composer
Recording Assistant: Anna Tjan; Production
Bass ( Vocal): Charlie Fink; Performer
Bass (vocal): Charlie Fink; Performer
Drums: Marcus Mumford; Performer
Engineer: Guy Katsav; Production
Harmonium: Charlie Fink; Performer
Primary Artist: Laura Marling; Main Performer
Performer: Marcus Mumford
Laura Marling
Charlie Fink; Performer
Piano: Charlie Fink; Performer
Vocals: Laura Marling; Performer
Mastering Engineer: Guy Davie; Production
Mixing: Guy Katsav; Production
Producer: Charlie Fink; Production
Studio Personnel: Guy Katsav
Anna Tjan
Guy Davie; Production

3. Tap At My Window

by Laura Marling

Composer: Laura Marling; Composer
Acoustic Guitar: Laura Marling; Performer
Cello: Laura Dickson; Performer
Drums: Marcus Mumford; Performer
Performer: Tom Hobden
Marcus Mumford
Laura Dickson
Emily Dreyfuss
Nick Murray
Laura Marling; Performer
Viola: Nick Murray; Performer
Violin: Emily Dreyfuss
Tom Hobden; Performer
Vocals: Laura Marling; Performer
Strings Arrangement: Tom Hobden; Composer
Engineer: Guy Katsav; Production
Mastering Engineer: Guy Davie; Production
Mixing: Guy Katsav; Production
Recording Assistant: Anna Tjan; Production
Studio Personnel: Guy Davie
Anna Tjan
Guy Katsav; Production
Primary Artist: Laura Marling; Main Performer
Producer: Charlie Fink; Production

4. Failure

by Laura Marling

Acoustic Guitar: Laura Marling; Performer
Composer: Laura Marling; Composer
Recording Assistant: Anna Tjan; Production
Bass ( Vocal): Jesse Quin; Performer
Bass (vocal): Jesse Quin; Performer
Cello: Laura Dickson; Performer
Drums: Marcus Mumford; Performer
Engineer: Guy Katsav; Production
Mastering Engineer: Guy Davie; Production
Mixing: Guy Katsav; Production
Percussion: Marcus Mumford; Performer
Producer: Charlie Fink; Production
Performer: Jesse Quin
Tom Hobden
Marcus Mumford
Charlie Fink
Rob Greenwood
Laura Dickson
Laura Marling; Performer
Primary Artist: Laura Marling; Main Performer
Piano: Charlie Fink; Performer
Trumpet: Rob Greenwood; Performer
Violin: Tom Hobden; Performer
Vocals: Laura Marling; Performer
Strings Arrangement: Tom Hobden; Composer
Studio Personnel: Guy Davie
Anna Tjan
Guy Katsav; Production

5. You're No God

by Laura Marling

Primary Artist: Laura Marling; Main Performer
Acoustic Guitar: Laura Marling; Performer
Background Vocals: Marcus Mumford
Charlie Fink
Guy Katsav; Performer
Mixing: Guy Katsav; Production
Recording Assistant: Anna Tjan; Production
Bass ( Vocal): Charlie Fink; Performer
Bass (vocal): Charlie Fink; Performer
Producer: Charlie Fink; Production
Cello: Laura Dickson; Performer
Drums: Marcus Mumford; Performer
Composer: Laura Marling; Composer
Engineer: Guy Katsav; Production
Glockenspiel: Charlie Fink; Performer
Organ: Charlie Fink; Performer
Performer: Tom Hobden
Charlie Fink
Guy Katsav
Marcus Mumford
Nick Murray
Laura Dickson
Emily Dreyfuss
Laura Marling; Performer
Piano: Laura Marling; Performer
Strings Arrangement: Tom Hobden; Composer
Viola: Nick Murray; Performer
Violin: Tom Hobden
Emily Dreyfuss; Performer
Vocals: Laura Marling; Performer
Mastering Engineer: Guy Davie; Production
Studio Personnel: Anna Tjan
Guy Katsav
Guy Davie; Production

6. Cross Your Fingers

by Laura Marling

Primary Artist: Laura Marling; Main Performer
Acoustic Guitar: Laura Marling
Charlie Fink; Performer
Mastering Engineer: Guy Davie; Production
Recording Assistant: Anna Tjan; Production
Bass ( Vocal): Charlie Fink; Performer
Bass (vocal): Charlie Fink; Performer
Composer: Laura Marling; Composer
Drums: Marcus Mumford; Performer
Electric Guitar: Charlie Fink; Performer
Glockenspiel: Charlie Fink; Performer
Organ: Charlie Fink; Performer
Performer: Laura Marling
Charlie Fink
Marcus Mumford; Performer
Piano: Charlie Fink; Performer
Vocals: Laura Marling; Performer
Engineer: Guy Katsav; Production
Mixing: Guy Katsav; Production
Producer: Charlie Fink; Production
Studio Personnel: Guy Katsav
Anna Tjan
Guy Davie; Production

7. Crawled Out Of The Sea (Interlude)

by Laura Marling

Primary Artist: Laura Marling; Main Performer
Accordion: Charlie Fink; Performer
Acoustic Guitar: Laura Marling; Performer
Background Vocals: Guy Katsav
Charlie Fink
Marcus Mumford; Performer
Engineer: Guy Katsav; Production
Recording Assistant: Anna Tjan; Production
Bass ( Vocal): Charlie Fink; Performer
Composer: Laura Marling; Composer
Bass (vocal): Charlie Fink; Performer
Drums: Marcus Mumford; Performer
Performer: Laura Marling
Charlie Fink
Guy Katsav
Marcus Mumford; Performer
Ukulele: Charlie Fink; Performer
Vocals: Laura Marling; Performer
Mastering Engineer: Guy Davie; Production
Mixing: Guy Katsav; Production
Producer: Charlie Fink; Production
Studio Personnel: Guy Katsav
Guy Davie
Anna Tjan; Production

8. My Manic And I

by Laura Marling

Primary Artist: Laura Marling; Main Performer
Acoustic Guitar: Laura Marling; Performer
Mixing: Guy Katsav; Production
Recording Assistant: Anna Tjan; Production
Bass ( Vocal): Charlie Fink; Performer
Composer: Laura Marling; Composer
Bass (vocal): Charlie Fink; Performer
Drums: Marcus Mumford; Performer
Keyboard: Charlie Fink; Performer
Performer: Marcus Mumford
Tom Hobden
Charlie Fink
Laura Marling; Performer
Piano: Charlie Fink; Performer
Ukulele: Charlie Fink; Performer
Violin: Tom Hobden; Performer
Vocals: Laura Marling; Performer
Strings Arrangement: Tom Hobden; Composer
Engineer: Guy Katsav
Phill Brown; Production
Mastering Engineer: Guy Davie; Production
Producer: Charlie Fink; Production
Studio Personnel: Phill Brown
Guy Katsav
Guy Davie
Anna Tjan; Production

9. Night Terror

by Laura Marling

Primary Artist: Laura Marling; Main Performer
Acoustic Guitar: Laura Marling; Performer
Mixing: Guy Katsav; Production
Recording Assistant: Anna Tjan; Production
Bass ( Vocal): Charlie Fink; Performer
Bass (vocal): Charlie Fink; Performer
Composer: Laura Marling; Composer
Drums: Marcus Mumford; Performer
Electric Guitar: Charlie Fink; Performer
Percussion: Charlie Fink; Performer
Performer: Charlie Fink
Tom Hobden
Marcus Mumford
Laura Marling; Performer
Violin: Tom Hobden; Performer
Vocals: Laura Marling; Performer
Strings Arrangement: Tom Hobden; Composer
Engineer: Guy Katsav
Phill Brown; Production
Mastering Engineer: Guy Davie; Production
Producer: Charlie Fink; Production
Studio Personnel: Phill Brown
Guy Davie
Anna Tjan
Guy Katsav; Production

10. The Captain And The Hourglass

by Laura Marling

Acoustic Guitar: Laura Marling
Charlie Fink; Performer
Composer: Laura Marling; Composer
Guitar: Charlie Fink; Performer
Percussion: Marcus Mumford; Performer
Performer: Marcus Mumford
Laura Marling
Tom Hobden
Charlie Fink; Performer
Piano: Charlie Fink; Performer
Violin: Tom Hobden; Performer
Vocals: Laura Marling; Performer
Strings Arrangement: Tom Hobden; Composer
Engineer: Guy Katsav; Production
Mastering Engineer: Guy Davie; Production
Recording Assistant: Anna Tjan; Production
Studio Personnel: Guy Katsav
Guy Davie
Anna Tjan; Production
Primary Artist: Laura Marling; Main Performer
Producer: Charlie Fink; Production

11. Shine

by Laura Marling

Acoustic Guitar: Laura Marling; Performer
Primary Artist: Laura Marling; Main Performer
Performer: Laura Marling; Performer
Vocals: Laura Marling; Performer
Composer: Laura Marling; Composer
Engineer: Guy Katsav; Production
Mastering Engineer: Guy Davie; Production
Mixing: Guy Katsav; Production
Producer: Charlie Fink; Production
Recording Assistant: Anna Tjan; Production
Studio Personnel: Guy Davie
Guy Katsav
Anna Tjan; Production

12. Your Only Doll (Dora)

by Laura Marling

Composer: Laura Marling; Composer
Acoustic Guitar: Laura Marling; Performer
Background Vocals: Marcus Mumford
Tom Hobden
Guy Katsav
Charlie Fink; Performer
Cello: Laura Dickson; Performer
Harmonium: Charlie Fink; Performer
Percussion: Charlie Fink; Performer
Performer: Charlie Fink
Guy Katsav
Marcus Mumford
Laura Marling
Laura Dickson
Tom Hobden; Performer
Piano: Charlie Fink; Performer
Vocals: Laura Marling; Performer
Engineer: Guy Katsav; Production
Mastering Engineer: Guy Davie; Production
Mixing: Guy Katsav; Production
Recording Assistant: Anna Tjan; Production
Studio Personnel: Guy Katsav
Guy Davie
Anna Tjan; Production
Primary Artist: Laura Marling; Main Performer
Producer: Charlie Fink; Production

Technical Specifications

Volume

1 volume only

Tracks

12 tracks available

Type

ALBUM

Format

Digital Media

Duration

38 minutes and 20 seconds

Explicit

Containing curse words, language, or art that is sexually, violently, or offensively oriented.

Coverart

Available and up to 2209x2209 px

Booklet

Not available

Max Quality

CD Quality (Lossless)

16bit / 44.1 kHz

Stereo

Audio Extension

Lossless: FLAC, M4A, WAV, WV, AIFF

Lossy: AAC, MP3, M4A, MP4, OGA, OGG, OPUS, WMA

Archive Format

Available in these formats: ZIP, TAR, RAR

Lyrics

All tracks have lyrics

Synchronized Lyrics

11/12 tracks have synced lyrics

Genres

Pop/Rock, Adult Alternative, Alternative, Singer & Songwriter, Contemporary Singer, Songwriter, Singer-Songwriter, Folk-Rock, British Folk

Label

Virgin Records

Music Distribution Service

UMG Global

Country

United Kingdom

Language

English (United States)

Popularity

Release Date

Feb 10, 2008

Track Preview

Available

Delivery Charge

Free

Delivery Method

Digital download link via Email or Personal Dashboard on this site

UPC

5099951688059

Shopping cart

Notification

Alas I Cannot Swim