So has this leaked or not? I can't find it except on some weird Polish site which won't let me download it anyway. Pumped to hear it if anyone wants to sort me out (don't feel guilty, I'll end up buying the vinyl anyway...)

It was mistakenly put up on a streaming radio site early, now taken down.

If anyone is absolutely desperate there's a "v0" rip of the stream with the tracks separated that I can PM to you. quality is very listenable and not really "dodgy" as I indicated earlier.

That'd be awesome if you could, Monotony.

She still has not made a great "album." There are always three or four songs on an album that slay me, but the rest is a bit too pastiche-y. Too much of it is just a retread of the 70s, unlike, say, what Cat Power was doing when she came out. But she's so young it's forgivable. She's gorgeous and talented, which helps get those high scores, but a full record has yet to click with me. Though I could cobble together a perfect folk album from the three LPs. I still like I Speak more than this new one. The second half of all three oddly seem the strongest to me.

This is just on the same level of her other albums, two or three very good songs and the rest staying on a consistent but unmemorable level. She's clearly channeling Joni Mitchell with a lot of her vocal phrasing (On Salinas especially, sounds like 'Hissing Of Summer Lawns' era Joni, she's even got a kind of American accident when she segues into semi-speaking). Lyrically she's a bit more oblique and cliche than Joni, though, so it doesn't really work.

I think Marling has a classic album in her, but this isn't it. She should have maybe turned her three albums into two, which would have upped the quality control considerably. The debut is still the best. There isn't much to choose between any of them, which is maybe part of the problem.

Still, enjoyable record.

Also: Where is the rhythm and percussion on 'The Beast' stolen from? It's instantly recognisable but I can't think from where. Maybe Massive Attack or Joy Division, it's killing me.

"From Sunday 4th September you fine folks in America and Canada will be able to stream LM’s new album ‘A Creature I Don’t Know’ in full via the New York Times website."

Laura, lovely Laura *rubs thighs*

http://www.guardian.co.uk/music/2011/sep/0...view-confidence

I wrote this on this http://bit.ly/nX1G6N

You should write for Pitchfork. The second album is not 'an exploration of stern femininity' (whatever that means). The latest album is nothing like Hejira (which isn't a 'folk' album by any stretch of the imagination; that's such a lazy way to describe Joni Mitchell records, everything after Ladies of the Canyon is hardly folk music at all).

Don't want to belittle your opinion, because you've clearly been part of this scene and know more about the artists than I do, but some of this article is just plain wrong.

Well first things first 'an exploration of stern femininity' were words that have come out of Marling's mouth so you are completely wrong there.

Second point, it's a review about Laura Marling not Joni Mitchell, I know what Hejira sounds like, I'm giving people a refernce point for one song with jazz-inspired chord progressions, Hejira is the obvious comparison, I could have mentioned Gillian Welch but decided against it.

I'm not calling her music like Joni Mitchell anyway, I said she was inspired by her. Marling's music is far more poppy.

Also judging by the majority of the disgusting misogyny you post it's pretty rich to try and enter into a discussion about femininity (whatever that means).

Does the phrase sound more or less ridiculous spoken than written down? Marling says a lot of rubbish in her interviews, she's very much caught up in her own self importance and seems to have a complete lack of humour about her. Maybe she comes across different in person.



Arguable as well, there are pop hooks all over a lot of Joni Mitchell records, especially in the Ladies of the Canyon-Court and Spark stretch of her career.



But you don't enter any kind of discussion about femininity, merely using a phrase that sounds like utter Pitchfork-esque pseudo-intellectual bullshit. Now I know it originated from Marling herself, I can excuse you, but you must admit describing something as evoking 'stern femininity' is a terrible way to describe a record.

So what it comes down to is the review is Pitchforkesque ie terrible because the words "stern femininity" appear in it.

Well, no that was merely one example. It wasn't a bad review, don't get me wrong, just a few gripes I had with it. People tear apart reviews from other sites on here, I don't see why our own members should be above criticism; Mitch gave a fair response and I gave one back, it's all good.

I agree completely with this statement.
its what makes the board interesting, rather than the circle-jerk and ego-stroking you find most places..

Uh, criticism is obviously fine. Weak bullshit is not.

If you say something you have to stand by it. That's if you published a full article criticizing a work or if you made a post criticizing a review. Just a few days ago I argued on this very board with people giving what I found to be unjust criticism of a Dream review. This isn't homerism, it's the discussion.

yeah.
i know everyone knows that...just enjoying the dialogue, and liked the point...
totally with you,
and currently undecided on the new record...

Cool.

When's this out in the states anyway?

not sure, think its tomorrow? EDIT: Yeah, it the 12th

just got notice they shipped my 7" on the 9th...

Huh right there in the subhead.

Just for clarification, I obvious would expect to be pulled up on any factual inaccuracy in a review and would seek to correct it. Whereas a difference of opinion I’ll happily debate/discuss (not too much, I’d look a dick after writing that much and then writing even more) but of the two points from Waves Within one was clearly wrong and the other is down to the fact I’m not going to baulk at mentioning Joni Mitchell in a review and daring to have a differing opinion on the two classification of one of her albums. Neither of those really felt like they would add up the review being ‘plain wrong’ IMO.

it's a very good record.

you know, you know, i know i know

Tonight's the night. And it's sold out too. 500 Chicago Laura Marling fans can't be wrong.

See ya there, Bobz.

Wanted to have heard the record before tonight but Reckless's computer was down last week and lord knows Chicago only has one record store.

I have no idea where one would go to get a Laura Marling CD in a retail store in Chicago. I'm sure Reckless could special order it, but that's pathetic.

I would think they'll have copies of the new album at the merch table. I ordered the deluxe LP/CD/DVD package, but according to an email, it was delayed by customs, so it hasn't arrived yet. Thankfully there's that den of thievery, the internet, to have allowed me to acquaint myself with her great new songs.

Can't wait to hear some of these songs in a live setting. "Night After Night" is still absolutely crushing.

Rumours are she's headed back to Australia again this antipodean summer - any insider info on that, Mitchell?

The last time she was in town her record wasn't available at the merch table for some reason.

The damn thing was reviewed in the Redeye for fucksakes, you'd think some place would be trendy enough to sell it.

Laura's being interviewed and playing on XRT right now. This is a good thing.

Edit:
It's here: http://wxrt.radio.com/2011/09/22/audio-lau...-from-studio-x/

She played "Sophia" and "Don't Ask Me Why" and sounded great. Interview was brief and awkward. The usual questions about English girl singers and nu-folk. She still seems a bit uncomfortable, guarded and reserved in conversation. But uninhibited in performance fortunately.

she's coming for laneway, monotony.

Last night's show was astoundingly great. Best show I've seen from her, and maybe the best show I've seen from anyone this year. I'm already smitten with her and her songs, obviously. Yet I'd think anyone who saw her say 12 or 18 months ago would acknowledge that she's starting to work at a different plane. She joked about not being known for her stage banter, but this was the most engaged and charming that she's been by far, and even the few awkward and muffed moments were endearing. Her band had the versatility and talent to back up her songs, and she and they were mostly faithful to the renditions on her albums. But Laura is very much in command even when it's just her voice and guitar. As my more casual music fan companion said, "that was fucking incredible."

She's also playing longer now. I think this one went 65 or 70 minutes. Set list as best I can recall:
Rambling Man
Alpha Shallows
Alas I Cannot Swim
Ghosts
I Was Just A Card
The Muse
Hope In The Air
Don't Ask Me Why
Salinas
Goodbye England, Covered In Snow (LM solo)
untitled new song (holy crap, this was great--best thing she's done yet, I reckon) (LM solo)
Night After Night (LM solo)
Dance Dance Dance (sloppy Neil Young cover) (LM solo)
Sophia (the band had cracked her up, so she laughed her way through the first verse)
I Speak Because I Can
All My Rage

Rapturous, sold out crowd, comprised mostly of her usual constituency of young-ish girls, and some coupled oldsters. As I noted a few posts above, she's getting some radio play here, so she drew and should be drawing more XRT adult album alternative fans. Almost certainly the last time I'll see her so close and personal. It'll be the Park West or the Vic next time, unless she has a Mumfords-type breakout, which I selfishly hope she doesn't, but she's got the talent to justify it.

excellent. hopefully she does two sideshows again...i'd see her three times in a week if I could

Chicagoans can be hilarious. The pride that room felt when Marling declared she'd had the best coffee she ever tasted in our humble city (turned out she went to Inteligetsia).

Anyway, great show. Been a pleasure watching her develop over the years, much more at ease these days though still chuckles at every half audible midsong superlative thrown her way.