Song for Our Daughter
Album by Laura Marling
Released 10 April 2020
Folk / Singer-Songwriter
Produced by Marling / Ethan Johns
Rating – 8.5/10
‘Song for Our Daughter’ shines with maternal love, a vibrancy met by its beautiful, folk premise.
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Laura Marling, veteran songwriter, and student of life’s turbulence, has never been shy where telling a story is concerned. She’s a young woman – at thirty years old, you’re likely to have already been tested by hurdles, whilst knowing the worst is yet to come, but on ‘Song for Our Daughter’, she doesn’t treat her touch-and-go future with pessimism, but with the motherly love of someone who has already lived it.
A loose concept album, ‘Song for Our Daughter’ sees Marling write to a non-existent version of herself, a fictional daughter character, acknowledging that to truly persevere, we need at least some guidance, particularly where life’s more brutal aspects dwell.
You may need to do some digging to get the most out of Laura’s lyrics, she’s on-and-off-the-nose on the album. In that regard, her themes live harmoniously with her performance style – there’s nothing fresh or unique about ‘Song for Our Daughter’ as far as venturing indie folk forth goes, but Laura still manages to show her contemporaries how it’s done.
A never-halting rainfall of sturdy songwriting is enough to see the album stand out in a world of such saturation and contemporary expectation. Thanks to Laura living up to her reputation as a fundamental beast, ‘Song for Our Daughter’ is a vintage folk pop album, one for any decade. One for the rocking chair, one for the patio or the sleepy hallway.
However, the album, regardless of the individual’s attachment to its light concept, packs an emotional punch, from time to time. It’s a project of advice, not deep in its own ego or proclaimed academia, but words of maternal instinct from a woman who has lived and learned, with storytelling being her greatest love.
‘Alexandra’ is Marling’s principal display of vulnerability – a hurry of emotion in the chorus that sees her at her most contemplative, obsessing over the titular character from Leonard Cohen’s ‘Alexandra Leaving’, enrapturing herself in a character, in a way that’ll have the listener enraptured in Marling’s emotional state.
‘Held Down’ lives somewhere between abandonment and struggling to spend any time away from someone you love. Multi-tracked vocals allow the song to reach out and connect, amidst lyrics of separation – “your note said ‘dear, you know I hate to disappear, but the days are short, and the nights are getting long”.
‘Only the Strong’ begs to be accused of peddling clichés, but there’s an intimacy to Laura’s vocal approach, one that sees the song become a cautionary lullaby, as if she’s cradling her child and giving her strength.
It’s around that midway point where the pieces of advice become slightly more rapid – Laura stops caring if she has to mention violence or manipulation to her daughter. On the title track, she warns her child of the greatest tricks played by masculinity-ruled adulthood, rising above any of the norms perceived by rape culture and the expectations of women. Then, on ‘Fortune’, she dissects powerlessness, amidst wicked strings, and a constantly-climbing acoustic guitar.
‘Strange Girl’ involves itself in the possibilities of what your child can achieve, not necessarily career-wise or financially, but through the limitlessness of a human being’s character. The tune dances in a way that sees the album at its most carelessly poppy – it’s infectious! An outdoorsy hoot of a dance that’ll command the attention of any nearby forest critter.
There are a few more for the manifesto, namely ‘The End of the Affair’, a does-what-it-says-on-the-tin number that warns with the harsher impacts made by affection, about two people attempting to come out of unfaithfulness as better people. The vocal melody is one of the most staggering, a heartfelt dive into near-self destruction, despite Laura simply recounting events – “Max came around one day, very much nothing to say, and so we sat in silence by the road…”.
Indeed, Laura’s performances have the ability to show up the emotional impact of her lyrics. ‘Hope We Meet Again’ is a flurry of feeling, her voice begins to sound at peace, before rocketing in a way that begs for approval, as if uncomfortable at revealing a weak side.
And ‘Blow by Blow’ sees her at her most Joni Mitchell, accompanied by defenceless, yet potent pianos, and strings set to jet you off to an unheard-of place of serenity and vital understanding. It’s quite moving how Laura not only borrows from her obvious influences, but also lives up to them – ‘For You’ may as well be a tune written by Paul McCartney while in the countryside, a bygone folk charm, smitten with its own, oil rich melodies.
‘Song for Our Daughter’ lives in moderation, a small cottage with no more furniture than what is required. The perfect place for clear-headed learning, fitting for its subject. Ethan Johns’ handles the stripped-back arrangements with such care and respect – the work of a big-name producer refusing to adhere to ego, preferring to understand rather than improve or stamp.
Caution and care, not perfection but necessitation. Laura Marling’s minimal musical mindset feeds her the sobriety required to play the part of guardian. ‘Song for Our Daughter’ shines with maternal love, a vibrancy met by its beautiful, folk premise.
Best tracks – ‘Alexandra’ – ‘Held Down’ – ‘Strange Girl’ – ‘For You’.
Rating – 8.5 out of 10
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