“Patterns In Repeat” Laura Marling
34-year-old English singer-songwriter returns with her 8th album. The award-winning performer (Brit Award at age 21 for best British female solo artist, plus Grammy and Mercury prize nominations) has produced one of the year’s best. Marling’s introspective lyrics delve into various “ideas and behaviors” — from her embrace of motherhood in 2023 to stories that thread their way through family dynamics over time. Her vocals are quiet, confident and expressive — perfect for the stories she weaves. A multi-instrumentalist, Marling is accomplished on guitar, bass and piano. The album delivers a calm and reassuring experience through its percussion-free songs that are as powerful as they are intimate. RIYL: Jessica Pratt, Cassandra Jenkins, The Weather Station (Tamara Lindeman), Beth Gibbons and Judy Collins.
— Francis

Highly recommended: 2, 7, 4, 1, 8, 10. No FCCs detected.

1. (4:13) Child Of Mine — Very slow fade in (~ 20 seconds) with room noise, then hushed conversation, baby sounds and musicians warming up before playing. Reverent with strummed guitar and simple vocals. Angelic backing. Some strings. ***
2. (4:21) Patterns — Captivating fingerpicked guitar with harmonized vocals. Subtle orchestration. Wonderful imagery. The single. ****
3. (3:30) Your Girl — Sentimental and breathy with almost spoken vocals at times. Plain and spare. Soul-baring poetry reflecting on a father who passed away before his daughters began to have their own families.
4. (2:03) No One’s Gonna Love You Like I Can — Lovely ballad. Plinking piano arpeggios with guitar chords and Marling’s rich vocals rising and falling, supported by cello. ****
5. (3:31) The Shadows — Another halting and mesmerizing slow song about leaving and loss. Gentle, but dramatic in how the story is spun. Strings are used in the back half.
6. (3:06) Interlude (Time Passages) — Intriguing instrumental. Chirping organ notes repeated in clocklike fashion with other layers added. Divides the album in half with the feeling of time passing.
7. (3:21) Caroline — Intricate guitar picking that’s almost Spanish in flavor, with violins as a counterpoint. Lyrics seem to be about a past love interest that unexpectedly reaches out again. ****
8. (3:04) Looking Back — Poignant song written five decades ago by Marling’s father. Contemplating the sadness of time passing and aging. Emotive vocals over rich cello and violin. ***
9. (2:48) Lullaby — Soft, swelling and reassuring guitar lullaby. Perhaps a song Marling sings to her young daughter to help get her to sleep.
10. (4:55) Patterns In Repeat — Ballad that connects back to the earlier “Patterns.” Lilting, with simple guitar accompaniment, plus light strings. So much telling detail in the lyrics. ***
11. (1:37) Lullaby (Instrumental) — Coda to the lullaby Marling sings two tracks earlier.