Alas I Cannot Swim by Laura Marling - Uhune

ALBUM

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

1. Ghosts

by Laura Marling

Primary Artist: Laura Marling; Main Performer
Composer: Laura Marling; Composer
Lyricist: Laura Marling; Composer
Mixing: Guy Katsav; Production
Producer: Charlie Fink; Production

2. Old Stone

by Laura Marling

Primary Artist: Laura Marling; Main Performer
Composer: Laura Marling; Composer
Lyricist: Laura Marling; Composer
Mixing: Guy Katsav; Production
Producer: Charlie Fink; Production

3. Tap At My Window

by Laura Marling

Primary Artist: Laura Marling; Main Performer
Composer: Laura Marling; Composer
Lyricist: Laura Marling; Composer
Mixing: Guy Katsav; Production
Producer: Charlie Fink; Production

4. Failure

by Laura Marling

Primary Artist: Laura Marling; Main Performer
Composer: Laura Marling; Composer
Lyricist: Laura Marling; Composer
Mixing: Guy Katsav; Production
Producer: Charlie Fink; Production

5. You're No God

by Laura Marling

Primary Artist: Laura Marling; Main Performer
Composer: Laura Marling; Composer
Lyricist: Laura Marling; Composer
Mixing: Guy Katsav; Production
Producer: Charlie Fink; Production

6. Cross Your Fingers

by Laura Marling

Primary Artist: Laura Marling; Main Performer
Composer: Laura Marling; Composer
Lyricist: Laura Marling; Composer
Mixing: Guy Katsav; Production
Producer: Charlie Fink; Production

7. Crawled Out Of The Sea (Interlude)

by Laura Marling

Primary Artist: Laura Marling; Main Performer
Composer: Laura Marling; Composer
Lyricist: Laura Marling; Composer
Mixing: Guy Katsav; Production
Producer: Charlie Fink; Production

8. My Manic And I

by Laura Marling

Primary Artist: Laura Marling; Main Performer
Composer: Laura Marling; Composer
Lyricist: Laura Marling; Composer
Mixing: Guy Katsav; Production
Producer: Charlie Fink; Production

9. Night Terror

by Laura Marling

Primary Artist: Laura Marling; Main Performer
Composer: Laura Marling; Composer
Lyricist: Laura Marling; Composer
Mixing: Guy Katsav; Production
Producer: Charlie Fink; Production

10. The Captain And The Hourglass

by Laura Marling

Primary Artist: Laura Marling; Main Performer
Composer: Laura Marling; Composer
Lyricist: Laura Marling; Composer
Mixing: Guy Katsav; Production
Producer: Charlie Fink; Production

11. Shine

by Laura Marling

Primary Artist: Laura Marling; Main Performer
Composer: Laura Marling; Composer
Lyricist: Laura Marling; Composer
Mixing: Guy Katsav; Production
Producer: Charlie Fink; Production

12. Your Only Doll (Dora)

by Laura Marling

Primary Artist: Laura Marling; Main Performer
Composer: Laura Marling; Composer
Lyricist: Laura Marling; Composer
Mixing: Guy Katsav; Production
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

None

Coverart

Available and up to 1400x1400 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

Alternative, Indie Rock, Singer-Songwriter, Folk-Rock, British Folk, Modern Folk

Label

Ribbon Music

Music Distribution Service

Domino Record Co Ltd [UK]

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

801397600664