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Once I Was an Eagle

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Once I Was an Eagle
Studio album by
Laura Marling
Released27 May 2013 (2013-05-27)
Recorded2012
StudioThird Crow Studio, Bath, England
GenreFolk, folk rock
Length63:20
LabelVirgin
ProducerEthan Johns
Laura Marling chronology
A Creature I Don't Know
(2011) 		Once I Was an Eagle
(2013) 		Short Movie
(2015)
Singles from Once I Was An Eagle
  1. "Master Hunter"
    Released: 16 April 2013 [1]

Once I Was an Eagle is the fourth studio album by British singer-songwriter Laura Marling, and was released on 27 May (US/Canada, 28 May) 2013.[2] "Master Hunter" was the album's first official single release.[3] It was nominated for the 2013 Mercury Prize. The record achieved unanimous critical acclaim, and has been cited as one of the best singer-songwriter records of the 21st century.[4]

History

Background and production

Marling began debuting songs from Once I Was An Eagle, as early as mid-late 2011, before the release of her third album, A Creature I Don't Know. These songs included "I Was An Eagle", "Pray For Me" and "Master Hunter". The album, according to Marling, is the "plain[est]" album she has written. She has commented that it follows a central figure, who angrily shuns naïvety and love, and over the course of the album regains a "second naïvety". The album is written in three tunings, which mark the basic changes in emotion. The first half ("Take The Night Off" to "Devil's Resting Place") has a darker, more melancholic tone, whereas the second half ("Undine" to "Saved These Words") has a more upbeat and open tone, if not jubilant. Marling has stated that there is a greater cohesion to Once I Was An Eagle, in terms of themes and the development of the music. Many critics have noted that the first half feels more like a continuous idea, intensified by the first four songs ("Take The Night Off", "I Was An Eagle", "You Know" and "Breathe") which flow together as one.

Following the conclusion of her tour for her previous album, Marling began production on her fourth album. Unlike her previous three albums, she chose not to work with a band, and instead she enlisted the help of producer Ethan Johns and cellist, Ruth de Turberville, to assist with the album's production.[5] Marling recorded the album in 10 days at Three Crows studio in Bath, England. The guitar and vocals were recorded live in one take.[6] The album is considerably longer than her previous efforts, with sixteen tracks, and running in at over an hour.

Promotion

The album was announced on 8 March 2013, along with a streaming of "Where Can I Go?" on Laura Marling's official SoundCloud page.[7]

Long time collaborators, Fred & Nick, created an 18-minute film called When Brave Bird Saved, written and directed by the pair, which was a "visual introduction" to the first four songs on the album, "Take The Night Off", "I Was an Eagle", "You Know" and "Breathe". The four songs seamlessly flow into one another, much like "Don't Ask Me Why" and "Salinas" on Marling's previous album, A Creature I Don't Know. The name from the film is derived from the titles of the last four songs on the album, "When Were You Happy? (And How Long Has That Been)", "Love Be Brave", "Little Bird", and "Saved These Words".

"Master Hunter" premiered on Zane Lowe's BBC Radio 1 show on 16 April 2013.[8] Marling performed stripped-back versions of "Master Hunter" and "Once" on Later...with Jools Holland on 26 April 2013.[9][10]

To promote the album in North America, Marling embarked on a small tour leading up to the album's release.[11] "Where Can I Go?" was sent to North American Triple-A radio on 20 May 2013.[12]

One week prior to its official release, the album was available for streaming exclusively on The Guardian and NPR on 20 May 2013.[13][14]

Marling collaborated with Secret Cinema for 18 dates on an event known as the Eagle Ball. Reception was extremely positive.

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
AnyDecentMusic?8.3/10[15]
Metacritic86/100[16]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[17]
The A.V. ClubA−[18]
The Daily Telegraph[19]
The Guardian[20]
The Independent[21]
NME9/10[22]
Pitchfork8.1/10[23]
Q[24]
Rolling Stone[25]
Spin8/10[26]

The album received widespread critical acclaim. According to review aggregator website Metacritic, Once I Was an Eagle received an average score of 86 out of 100, based on 36 reviews, indicating universal acclaim.[16] Aggregating website AnyDecentMusic? assigned a rating of 8.3, based on 39 reviews.[15]

NME gave nine out of ten, calling Marling's analysis of her relationship, "forensic", and saying, "Four albums into a remarkable career in which she's yet to put a foot wrong, Marling is still waiting for her chorus. Once I Was An Eagle sets a high bar; does anyone doubt she'll soar over it?".[22] '

Clash Magazine called it a "beautiful achievement" that confirmed Marling can "sit side-by-side with PJ, Joni and Sandy", as one of the "greatest singer-songwriters of both her generation and generations before it." The review concluded, "Without doubt, this is one of the folk albums of the year."[27]

The Irish Times said, "whether she is softly crooning over a plucked guitar or dabbling with organs and percussion for quietly cacophonous climaxes, Marling is never less than captivating."[28]

Slant gave the album four and a half stars out of five, and called it, "close to a masterpiece, a heavenly composition with just enough hell to keep things from feeling too familiar."[29]

musicOMH's Matt Langham, awarding the record four and a half stars out of five, wrote: "It is a work that cements her reputation as one of the country’s leading singer-songwriters. This, of course, is a standing that’s earned and age-blind… The songs are seemingly plucked as easily as ripe fruit from a branch, but this belies their focus; it’s likely to be as powerful and unified a passage of music as you’ll hear all year."[30]

This Is Fake DIY awarded it nine stars out of ten, and said: "Compare her to Bob Dylan all you like, but to issue a bold statement, Marling here proves herself, not as a product, but as an equal. Further down the line, it seems likely that on the emergence of another deceptively quiet young songstress with lyrics that stab and capture minds, the words on everyone’s lips will be 'this sounds like Laura Marling' instead."[31]

The Daily Telegraph gave it five stars out of five, Neil McCormick writing, "I can’t quite pin down this album and that is one of the most appealing things about it. Her songs are liquid and amorphous, prone to shape-shifting, rarely offering up an obvious verse and chorus symmetry, or easy interpretation. Marling is never likely to be a fixture of the pop charts. But Once I Was An Eagle is a masterpiece, and, at 23, she’s still only getting started."[19]

The Independent also awarded it five stars, saying, "As well as her most lyrically mature work, it's also the most musically satisfying. Marling and producer Ethan Johns have opted for a sparse uniformity of guitars, hand percussion and cello."[21]

The Guardian awarded it four out of five stars, saying, "There are a couple of moments where she still feels like the sum total of a very tasteful record collection, where she struggles to make herself heard over the echoes of Joni Mitchell and Dylan's thin wild mercury sound. More often, though, she cuts through her influences, and rings out loud and clear; when she does, it's a very diverting sound indeed." The review highlighted the intensity and relentlessness of the first six-seven songs, and said of the latter half, "the quality of the songs remains almost unerringly high".[20]

"I’m really proud of that album," Marling told Drowned in Sound in April 2015. "It might be the album I’ll be most proud of forever."[32]

Fellow musicians paid tribute to the album. "Angry, sad, beautiful," observed Primal Scream's Bobby Gillespie. "The first five songs are like one song, though she changes the melody. I know nothing about her life but it sounds like she's had her heart broken. You don't write songs that intense for the sake of it; it comes from somewhere deep."[33] "Once I Was an Eagle is really getting to the root of something," said Elbow's Guy Garvey. "Every time I hear Laura live, the level of authenticity in her voice is palpable." "It's her first masterpiece," enthused Paul Weller. "It's very intense. I love the really dark, thick sound Ethan Jones gets on the record."

"The best thing I've heard this year has got to be Laura Marling at the Royal Albert Hall…" said Jimmy Page. "There was something of a communion going on there, because everyone in the audience was just mesmerised by her. She did this real lengthy number that just built. You can tell that she must like Roy Harper. It was so emotional. She's a really great storyteller and she is a great guitar player. Really incredible."[34]

Of the album itself, Page said: "I suppose you'd have to describe what she does as folk rock, but there's more to it than that. She has a storyteller's voice, plus an incredible range and technique. She also plays beautiful guitar."[35]

Accolades

Publication Rank List
American Songwriter 20 American Songwriter’s Top 50 Albums of 2013[36]
The Guardian 17 The best albums of 2013[37]
Mojo 22 MOJO's Top 50 Albums of 2013[38]
musicOMH 80 musicOMH's Top 100 Albums of 2013[39]
The New York Times 2 Top Ten Year-End List[40]
NME 9 NME's 50 Best Albums of 2013[41]
No Ripcord 7 Top 50 Albums of 2013[42]
NPR 33 Poll Results: Listeners Pick Their Favorite Albums of 2013[43]
PopMatters 32 The 75 Best Albums of 2013[44]
Pretty Much Amazing 14 PMA's 40 Best Albums of 2013[45]
Q 18 Q's 50 Albums of the Year[46]
Rolling Stone 20 50 Best Albums of 2013[47]
Slant 20 The 25 Best Albums of 2013[48]
Spin 33 Spin's 50 Best Albums of 2013[49]
Uncut 5 Uncut's Top 50 Albums of 2013[50]
Under the Radar 16 Under the Radar’s Top 125 Albums of 2013[51]
Uncut – Uncut's 50 best singer-songwriter albums[52]
Overall
Average 21.75 16 lists

Track listing

All tracks are written by Laura Marling, except for "Interlude" by Ethan Johns[53]

No.TitleLength
1."Take the Night Off"4:12
2."I Was an Eagle"4:21
3."You Know"2:30
4."Breathe"5:00
5."Master Hunter"3:16
6."Little Love Caster"5:52
7."Devil's Resting Place"3:14
8."Interlude"2:16
9."Undine"3:12
10."Where Can I Go?"3:40
11."Once"3:38
12."Pray for Me"5:05
13."When Were You Happy? (And How Long Has That Been)"3:53
14."Love Be Brave"3:04
15."Little Bird"5:40
16."Saved These Words"4:27

Personnel

Chart performance

As of March 2015 it has sold 31,000 copies in United States.[68]

References

  1. ^ "iTunes – Music – Master Hunter – Single by Laura Marling". Itunes.apple.com. 16 April 2013. Retrieved 1 June 2013.
  2. ^ "Once I Was An Eagle Album Announcement". LauraMarling.com. Archived from the original on 11 April 2013. Retrieved 8 March 2013.
  3. ^ "Tijdlijnfoto's". Facebook. Retrieved 1 June 2013.
  4. ^ "Uncut's 50 best singer-songwriter albums - Page 10 of 10 - Uncut". Uncut. 12 June 2015. Retrieved 24 June 2018.
  5. ^ "Stream Laura Marling's new album Once I Was An Eagle". Consequence of Sound. 20 May 2013. Retrieved 1 June 2013.
  6. ^ Bernard Zuel. "Singer-songwriter Laura Marling finds her voice". Smh.com.au. Retrieved 1 June 2013.
  7. ^ "Where Can I Go? Streaming". LauraMarling.com. Retrieved 8 March 2013.
  8. ^ Cragg, Michael (17 April 2013). "New music: Laura Marling – Master Hunter". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 2 May 2013.
  9. ^ "LATER WITH JOOLS HOLLAND". LauraMarling.com. Retrieved 2 May 2013.
  10. ^ "LATER WITH JOOLS HOLLAND PART II". LauraMarling.com. Retrieved 2 May 2013.
  11. ^ "NORTH AMERICAN SPRING JAUNT". LauraMarling.com. Retrieved 2 May 2013.
  12. ^ "Future Triple-A Releases". allaccess.com. Archived from the original on 9 May 2013. Retrieved 2 May 2013.
  13. ^ "Laura Marling – Once I Was an Eagle: exclusive album stream | Music | guardian.co.uk". The Guardian. London. 20 May 2013. Retrieved 1 June 2013.
  14. ^ Thompson, Stephen (19 May 2013). "First Listen: Laura Marling, 'Once I Was An Eagle'". NPR. Retrieved 1 June 2013.
  15. ^ a b "Once I Was An Eagle by Laura Marling reviews". AnyDecentMusic?. Retrieved 24 December 2019.
  16. ^ a b "Reviews for Once I Was an Eagle by Laura Marling". Metacritic. Retrieved 1 July 2016.
  17. ^ Monger, James Christopher. "Once I Was an Eagle – Laura Marling". AllMusic. Retrieved 1 July 2016.
  18. ^ Inman, David (28 May 2013). "Laura Marling: Once I Was An Eagle". The A.V. Club. Retrieved 1 July 2016.
  19. ^ a b McCormick, Neil (23 May 2013). "Laura Marling, Once I Was An Eagle, review". The Daily Telegraph. London. Retrieved 1 July 2016.
  20. ^ a b Petridis, Alexis (23 May 2013). "Laura Marling: Once I Was an Eagle – review". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 1 July 2016.
  21. ^ a b Gill, Andy (24 May 2013). "Album review: Laura Marling, Once I Was an Eagle (Virgin)". The Independent. London. Archived from the original on 21 June 2013. Retrieved 1 July 2016.
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  31. ^ "DIY Magazine".
  32. ^ http://drownedinsound.com/in_depth/4148884-la-ldn-story--laura-marling Archived 12 April 2015 at the Wayback Machine Drowned in Sound, 9 April 2015, LA-LDN Story: Laura Marling
  33. ^ Gilbert, Pat (January 2014). "2013: Bobby Gillespie picks his albums of the year". Mojo. No. 242. p. 56.
  34. ^ "The best thing I've heard all year". Mojo. No. 242. January 2014. pp. 74–75.
  35. ^ "The stars' picks". Classic Rock. No. 192. January 2014. p. 38.
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  40. ^ Pareles, Jon (13 December 2013). "Lorde Rules a Year-End List". The New York Times. Retrieved 29 December 2013.
  41. ^ "Pictures of NME's 50 Best Albums Of 2013". NME. 26 November 2013. Retrieved 14 December 2013.
  42. ^ No Ripcord Staff (24 December 2013). "Top 50 Albums Of 2013 (Part Two)". No Ripcord. Retrieved 27 December 2013.
  43. ^ NPR Listeners (12 December 2013). "Poll Results: listners Pick Their Favorite Albums of 2013". NPR. Retrieved 29 December 2013.
  44. ^ PopMatters Staff (26 December 2013). "The 75 Best Albums of 2013". PopMatters. Retrieved 29 December 2013.
  45. ^ Staff (13 December 2013). "PMA's 40 Best Albums of 2013". Pretty Much Amazing. Retrieved 18 December 2013.
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  48. ^ Slant Staff (12 December 2013). "The 25 Best Albums of 2013". Slant Magazine. Retrieved 14 December 2013.
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  68. ^ "Upcoming Releases". Archived from the original on 25 March 2015.


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