I Speak Because I Can - Laura Marling

Previously of the band Noah and the Whale, Laura Marling is part of the English folk and indie scene and well known in her own right.  I haven't listened to her solo debut Alas I Cannot Swim, but reviews of her music indicate that this album is more mature, dealing with issues relating to womanhood and responsibility.  The opening track "Devil's Spoke" was instantly attractive to me.  Its a frenzy of lyrics, banjo, and bongos, and emotional storm not often seen at the beginning of an album and perfectly matching the spinning of a devil's spoke - excellent matching of the musical with the lyrical.  Her voice has a depth and grittiness I would not associate with someone of her youth and the album does not display the generalizations I would associate with yet another young female singer-songwriter and her guitar.  Marling has the ability to demonstrate a range of musical emotions and subjects.  "Goodbye England" shows her softer, sweeter bathos, following the intense, "Alpha Shallows" which begins quietly but anxiously and alternates with consuming crescendos of strings and guitar.  "Hope in the Air" is entirely melancholic and is reminiscent of a Celtic ballad.  "Darkness Descends" is wonderful because amidst the catchy melodies and bouncy rhythm are lyrics about losing control.  The title of the album is well chosen.  Marling doesn't seem to be pleading with you to appreciate her, she does not imitate others in her genre so much as simply putting forth her best self and it works.  She writes her music because she can - it is what she does best.

EP - Yawn

There are a few things of interest here.  First of all the website where I first heard this band - http://www.stereomood.com/.  Click your mood or activity and you're given an extensive playlist to fit it.  Most of the playlists overlap, but thats ok.  The  best part is that the music is taken from the best international music blogs (according to the "about us" section).  I've recently become hooked on a lot of bands I've never heard of before thanks to this site.  Now Yawn is a band apparently very brand new.  This EP, as far as I can tell, is only found on their website, but thats good news because its free.  Here is their website - http://yawntheband.com/Yawn/Yawn.html. With only five songs, their sound is clearly impressed into your brain.  "Kind of Guy" has got to be my first favorite.  Like all the songs, the rhythm is simple, repetitive, but the instrumentation is just uncommon enough and expertly matched together to really make the song stand out.  "David" reaches a kind of Beatles "Day in the Life" climax, but instead of presenting a contrast afterward, the song stay at the top and builds with layers and repetition.  "Empress" is a bit darker, more indie I suppose, but their use of percussion again makes it more interesting, the repetition welcome.  "Midnite" opens with electronic wanderings and echoing, overpowering the syllabic vocals, then lyrics, and distant shouts.  It becomes a little more trip-hop than I would generally listen to towards the end.  The whole EP is overall upbeat, easy to dance to and even if it were longer than 20 minutes, worth listening to multiple times over.

Then there was a contest to remix the album.  Making it even better to dance too, but in a different trippier way.  The winning results can also be downloaded from Yawn's website.  "Toys" remixed by GROOVEHAHN is given an electronic steel drum treatment which sounds pretty cool. "Kind of Guy" seems a little drained of the energy Yawn originally gave it when Alex Baez remixes it.  "David" becomes more stretched and ethereal, slightly creepy and many of the elements from the original are lost.  It might just be that this type of music is beyond my enjoyment, but while I'll always listen to the original EP, I don't think I'll take anything from the Remix EP.

Also available on their website are two Mixtapes for download.

You I Wind Land & Sea - Justin Nozuka

The sophomore album of Justin Nozuka is equally as enjoyable as his debut.  This one shows some growth, but seems more mellow, though definitely no less soulful.  The singer-songwriter opens this album with sparse instrumentation, a driving beat and his voice above it all.  The tempo picks up, as does the beat and the last third of the song really fills out.  It is a song representative of Nozuka's repetitive lyrics, but catchy melodies and emotional output.  While the majority of the songs are acousitc, some accompaniment, electric guitars, additional percussion, are added as each song grows and develops.  The lyrics are generally about the typical love, women.  Sung softly and with varying instrumentation most are interesting through to the end.  What I love most about Nozuka is his sparse use of blues elements and influence and when his voice shines at certain moments - ornamentations and dancing around certain notes. He shows a maturity in his songwriting beyond his 21 years, both musically and lyrically that few in this genre do.  On his debut, Holly, there were a few songs that instantly caught and held my attention ("Golden Train," "Be Back Soon," "After Tonight," and "Criminal").  This album runs together more in my head, but I like "Gray" for its soaring qualities, "Souless Man" for the use of the piano, and the title track for its sunny rhythm and mood.