Laura Marling: "Once I Was An Eagle"

Listening to a Laura Marling album is a bit like bird watching.

It involves a lot of quiet. It involves a lot of sitting and waiting for something you recognize and if you’re patient enough, something truly spectacular will possibly emerge from the thicket.

For those of you who have done it before and those who love it — the true bird nerds — there is nothing more invigorating than this sit-and-stare aspect of Marling’s work. Most don’t understand its natural extraordinariness. At first glance, her albums are repetitive and droll.

Especially in the case of her newest release “Once I Was An Eagle,” Marling nods to her existing nature devotees. Her continuation of exploring the guitar ballad explores some of the same themes we’ve watched grow: broken-heartedness and its perks, agency in loneliness, laughing self-deprecation followed by self-reassurance.

Marling sings for the battered and beaten in the wake of Britain’s folk resurgence. Laura lovers know that each album is riddled with nuances and themes that continually grow. Laura lovers know that the 23-year-old crooner sings an unrecorded song at every show she performs.

Laura lovers know that this album in particular comprises many of these formerly unrecorded songs now strung together expertly. “Once I Was An Eagle” is a near seamless acoustic symphony of 63 minutes for the patient bird watchers.

Shining tracks are the title song “I Was An Eagle,” “Master Hunter” as well as the uncouth “Undine” and then the single “Where Can I Go?” backed by soul organ.

Aside from the organ and the somewhat spooky violin interlude, this album is nothing out-of-the-box for Laura, as the artist has abandoned the uplifting American-inspired anthems of her last album, and returned to darkness.

Her tracks redevelops Marling’s beloved evils. The Devil is not an adversary, but a confidante and companion, interwoven through her lyrics.

Never truer was the artist to herself than with the final track “Saved These Words” with the refrain “You weren’t my curse:” a reminder that we do not have to be defined by our past loves and losses.

Marling uncages both herself and her listeners.