Laura Marling - ‘Once I Was An Eagle’ + Elderthorn
Ingredients: 1 ounce brandy, 1/2 ounce St-Germain, 1/2 ounce Cynar
Mixing Instructions: Stir with ice in a mixing glass. Strain into chilled cocktail glass. (via Robert Hess)
Notes: Age and maturity normally run in parallel with each other, but somehow Laura Marling got a head start on all of us. Once I Was An Eagle is the British (now-L.A. transplant) folk musician’s fourth album…she was born in 1990. And while past albums may have carried the extra novelty of a child playing like an adult, Marling’s latest has the unquestionable feel of a woman in complete control of her craft. Standout track “Master Hunter” seems an apt description for the sparse, methodical way she controls the ear of the listener throughout with each bleeding lyric and surgical guitar pluck. Recorded in just over a week, there is an intimate feel to the entire effort that reminds one of a small theater production. It’s art. It’s beautiful. Take it all in with a cocktail that effortlessly balances the sweet and the bitter…fitting to say the least.