S. Carey & Laura Marling

Artist: S. Carey
Album: All We Grow

Year: 2010

Label: Jagjaguwar

Click here to listen

Upon discovering that Justin Vernon (aka Bon Iver) was taking his one-man oeuvre, For Emma, Forever Ago on the road, classically trained percussionist Sean Carey retreated to his room for two weeks, strategically dissected Vernon's album into parts, and learned the LP well enough to accompany Vernon live. What's more, Casey apparently approached Vernon after one of his live shows, somehow convinced Vernon to jam with him, and was essentially hired on the spot. Call him crazy, call him obsessed, just don't call him unambitious. Casey's is the type of ancillary story only an album like For Emma, Forever Ago, steeped in self-imposed log-cabin isolation and wild venison, could possibly hope to incite. But this album's back story isn't its only charming aspect. Carey is a master of the understated. The album is full of patient, intimate, and meticulously arranged compositions--the type you might expect from someone who obsessed enough over For Emma, Forever Ago to learn the album in its entirety. His classical influences are apparent but not overbearing, particularly his piano work on "In The Dirt," in which you can feel Steve Reich's presence as piano repetition layers and builds with vocal harmonies and handclaps, calming briefly into subtle woodwinds only to swell one last time before fading into silence. "Rothko Fields" recalls Brian Eno's best ambient work, and "Action" is made all the better for it's dissonant guitar and cymbal-free percussion work. This is a great album if you're looking for something sublime on a stifling August evening. I'm impressed by Carey's ability to use a guitar, a piano, and some drums (and, apparently, the occasional woodwind) to make such a lush album. At least one of the reviews I read suggested that his voice is the weakest aspect of the album, but I find it to be a perfect accompaniment to the type of music he crafts. Enjoy. 

Track List:

Move

We Fell

In The Dirt

Rothko Fields

Mothers

Action

In the Stream

All We Grow

Broken

Artist: Laura Marling

Album: I Speak Because I Can

Year: 2010

Label: Virgin Records

Click here to listen

At the young age of 18 Laura Marling released her debut album, Alas, I Cannot Swim. It was produced by Charlie Fink (frontman of Noah & The Whale), and was nominated for the Mercury Prize later that year, ultimately losing to Elbow's The Seldom Seen Kid. Not a bad debut for an 18 year old. Although the album didn't get much notice in the States, it debuted at a respectable #45 on the UK charts. Her most recent effort, I Speak Because I Can, faired much better. While still not popular in the U.S., the album debuted 41 spots higher at #4 in the UK, and earned her a second Mercury Prize nomination. Ironically, backup vocals on the album come courtesy of Marcus Mumford. Marcus is the lead singer of the London-based folk band Mumford & Sons, whose album debuted this year at #6 and has also been nominated for a Mercury Prize. Rumor has is that Marling and Mumford are an item, but frankly I could care less as long as they're both making good music. 

The album is surprisingly mature for a 20 year old. The writing is thoughtful and not littered with folk cliches, and the melodies are fleshed out enough that she inches past the type of bare-bone folk that can get lost in its own simplicity. Marling herself says that the album "deals with responsibility, particularly the responsibility of womanhood." And while this may suggest an entirely somber affair, the album is still full of life. "Rambling Man," "Alpha Shallows," "Goodbye England (Covered in Snow)," and Darkness Descends"  are my favorite tracks, but showcase a more lively side of Marling's work. Others, such as the somber "What He Wrote," show Marling's delicate guitar work and hushed vocals. Enjoy this for Marling's beautiful, mature voice, and for the excellent folk album it is. 

Track Listing:

Devil's Spoke

Made By Maid

Rambling Man

Blackberry Stone

Aplpah Shallows

Goodbye England

Hope In The Air

What He Wrote

Darkness Descends

I Speak Because I Can