Albums to watch

Once I Was An Eagle

Laura Marling

Once I Was An Eagle

The 23-year-old indie folk singer-songwriter and guitarist's fourth album, again produced by Ethan Johns (Kings Of Leon, Ryan Adams)

ADM rating[?]

8.3

Label
Virgin
UK Release date
27/05/2013
US Release date
28/05/2013
  1. 10.0 |   Daily Telegraph

    A masterpiece
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  2. 10.0 |   The Independent

    A work that demands to be taken as a whole, another reminder of the peculiar power of the album form, despite frequent premature declarations of its redundancy
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  3. 9.1 |   A.V. Club

    A master class in creation
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  4. 9.1 |   Pretty Much Amazing

    A singular achievement: a haunting record, peopled with aural ghosts that come gradually crawling from out of the grooves
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  5. 9.0 |   No Ripcord

    There are two primary things that make Once I Was An Eagle take flight: Lyrics and progression, which together make the album intelligent, confident, and, perhaps most importantly, recursive
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  6. 9.0 |   PopMatters

    A bold work that, in theory, shouldn’t work—a lengthy, near-concept album about emotional availability — but Marling makes it into one of the year’s essential releases
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  7. 9.0 |   Slant Magazine

    Once I Was an Eagle is close to a masterpiece, a heavenly composition with just enough hell to keep things from feeling too familiar.
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  8. 9.0 |   DIY

    Laura Marling seems to be an unshakeable creature, whose art firmly belongs to herself. 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
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  9. 9.0 |   Uncut

    Recalls Joni Mitchell's landmark Blue in the way she ruthlessly dissects her love life, hunting for emotional satisfaction
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  10. 9.0 |   Clash

    Marling must now be considered one of the greatest singer-songwriters of both her generation and generations before it
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  11. 9.0 |   The Digital Fix

    Yet another crowning achievement in this young woman's remarkable career to date
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  12. 9.0 |   Loud And Quiet

    Laura Marling’s precocious star shines brighter than ever on this record
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  13. 9.0 |   The Fly

    A 63-minute modern folk opus that should earn the Hampshire lass her third Mercury Prize nomination
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  14. 9.0 |   NME

    Sets a high bar; does anyone doubt she'll soar over it?
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  15. 9.0 |   musicOMH

    Once I Was An Eagle is really a character piece, a celebration of a still maturing, yet formidable woman
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  16. 8.6 |   AltSounds

    More than just an album, it’s more of a gloriously fashioned piece of art
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  17. 8.5 |   The 405

    Her best album yet; better individual songs may lie elsewhere, but her new record's cohesive nature makes it much more of an adventure than what came before
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  18. 8.5 |   The Line Of Best Fit

    She’s no longer one of the country’s most exciting prospects; she’s one of its greatest songwriters
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  19. 8.5 |   Paste Magazine

    A remarkable feat of personal reflection that reveals more of its intricacies with every listen
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  20. 8.1 |   Pitchfork

    Marling is 23; at first, the amount of time she had spent on this earth seemed relevant because nobody in her peer group was making albums like this. With Once I Was an Eagle, it’s because nobody of any age is making albums like this
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  21. 8.0 |   Beats Per Minute

    There’s no denying that Eagle is a great, if not brilliant, album that shows how good Marling is as a musician and a writer
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  22. 8.0 |   State

    She’s a theatre actress in constant monologue, always having to react to what is thrown at her by her unseen partner, and one is never unsure as to what she is trying to project
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  23. 8.0 |   The Scotsman

    Her most personal, relatable collection yet
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  24. 8.0 |   Time Out

    There is also a mood of ending, of change, and maybe, Marling is on her way into an exciting new phase of her career. This is definitely a fitting addition to the current one
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  25. 8.0 |   The Arts Desk

    Why should all the young songwriters heralded as the next Dylan be male?
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  26. 8.0 |   The Observer

    The idea of saving and being saved by love recur, gathering like strands across these 16 varied songs
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  27. 8.0 |   Consequence Of Sound

    Once I Was An Eagle strips the art of Marling down to her barest
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  28. 8.0 |   Evening Standard

    Her latest record is actually her most lighthearted and joyful
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  29. 8.0 |   The Guardian

    For a delicate flower, Marling sounds remarkably splenetic: her voice seems to have been roughened by nicotine, which fits the toughness of the lyrics
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  30. 8.0 |   Q

    Once I was An Eagle is entirely Laura Marling's trip - beautiful, heartfelt, searching, sublime - and thrillingly open-ended. Print edition only

  31. 8.0 |   Mojo

    It's the sweet sound of this unique talent evolving and it's utterly captivating. Print edition only

  32. 8.0 |   The Irish Times

    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
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  33. 7.5 |   Under The Radar

    Once I Was An Eagle is Marling's most fully-realized release yet
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  34. 7.4 |   Sputnik Music (staff)

    She’s the center of attention on the record, but never once does it feel like oversaturation
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  35. 7.0 |   God Is In The TV

    There’s a toughness here, and yet a dreaminess at the same time
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  36. 7.0 |   All Music

    While some may argue that her increasingly Americanized, Pacific coast folk-pop can feel a little like fan fiction, it doesn't make it any less enjoyable to sink your toes into
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  37. 7.0 |   Rolling Stone

    Connecting a 1960s singer-songwriter tradition to the ache of the now
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  38. 7.0 |   Drowned In Sound

    A shoe-in for a Mercury nomination
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  39. 6.0 |   Independent on Sunday

    It's often interesting but always achingly mannered
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Laura Marling: Once I Was An Eagle

  • Download full album for just £8.49
  • 1. Take The Night Off £0.99
  • 2. I Was An Eagle £0.99
  • 3. You Know £0.99
  • 4. Breathe £0.99
  • 5. Master Hunter £0.99
  • 6. Little Love Caster £0.99
  • 7. Devil's Resting Place £0.99
  • 8. Interlude £0.99
  • 9. Undine £0.99
  • 10. Where Can I Go? £0.00
  • 11. Once £0.99
  • 12. Pray For Me £0.99
  • 13. When Were You Happy? (And How Long Has That Been) £0.99
  • 14. Love Be Brave £0.99
  • 15. Little Bird £0.99
  • 16. Saved These Words £0.99
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