LAURA MARLINGAlas, I Cannot Swim
You’re probably thinking that 18-year-old Brit Laura Marling is going to be another Lily Allen-esque character, singing ironic ditties in a cheeky mockney accent. Well, lyrics like: “He wants to die on a lake in Geneva,” suggest that Marling is actually an entirely different entity.
In fact, the teenager takes influence from the likes of Bob Dylan, Joni Mitchell, Diane Cluck and Bonnie Prince Billy, and has created a body of delightful acoustic folk in Alas, I Cannot Swim, which, as much as anything, showcases her ability to pen remarkably worldly lyrics. “Lover please do not fall to your knees, it's not like I believe in everlasting love,” she sings, and you are forced to remind yourself that these are the words of someone who is only just old enough to go to the pub.
Accompanied by gentle guitar and occasional strings and trumpet, Marling’s arresting vocal falls somewhere between Beth Orton, Joni Mitchell and Cat Power, and the combination of her delicate musicianship and the ruminative, downbeat and sometimes foreboding subject-matter creates a pleasing juxtaposition of light and dark.
While Alas I Cannot Swim bursts with the depth and maturity one might expect from someone with twice Marling’s life-experience, it is important to point out that this record is not only impressive because it belies her tender years or because it is her debut offering. Far from it; the genuinely exquisite Alas, I Cannot Swim would be a marvellous achievement for anyone, regardless of whether they were 18 or 80.
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