Top Five Albums of 2010 - Laura Marling, I Speak Because I Can

*This is part of a series of posts, please refer to the parent post for context*

#3 – Laura Marling – I Speak Because I Can
I enjoyed Laura Marling’s first album, but it didn’t sell me. This album is a completely different story. Marling’s voice is haunting, reminiscent of other folk artists like Joni Mitchell, and the lyrical prowess is unmatched. The production is simple, allowing Marling’s narrative to drive the album. Each song illustrates how she struggles to find her place within culturally drawn feminine roles (daughter, maid, girl – these terms crop up frequently). It brilliantly interrogates the lines between past and present, placing women’s identities in contested, confusing cultural space. These musings are painted on the backdrop of romantic ideologies, expectations of love spoken and implied. Ultimately, the album is about finding voice outside of these constraints.

Favorite Lyrics:

1. "My life is a candle and a wick, you can put it out but you can’t break it down, in the end we are waiting to be lit."
2. "I believe we are meant to be seen and not to be understood."
3. "It’s hard to accept yourself as someone you don’t desire, as someone you don’t want to be."
4. "I wrote an epic letter to you, and it’s 22 pages front and back but it’s too good to be used."

Favorite Tracks:

1. Goodbye to England
2. Darkness Descends
3. Devil Spoke
4. Rambling Man