Friday 23 January 2015

50 songs to take to my grave #24: Night Terror


There’s at least one track on each of Laura Marling’s four albums that made me go ‘wow!’ when I first heard them. There’s one that still sends shivers down my spine.

Night Terror actually first appeared on the 'My Manic & I' EP in 2007 when Laura was a mere 17 years of age. SEVEN-bloody-TEEN! It is a remarkable achievement for someone so young, proving what a special talent she is. The first I heard of her was when she released her debut album the following year. Night Terror was included and it really did give me a tingly feeling. It’s one of those dark, eerie, desolate songs that requires no embellishment. Neither does it need much explaining – listening to it you either get it or you don’t.

Laura Marling is an extraordinary talent, with four critically-acclaimed albums to her name and a string of awards and nominations, and she’s still only 24. A new album, 'Short Movie', is due in March. According to recent interviews she’s been contemplating withdrawing from the industry, feeling she’s revealing too much of herself in her songs. It would be a great loss as she has so much more to offer. Night Terror is not a song most people would choose to console themselves, but if she does call it a day, it’ll be this one I’ll be playing to mark her retirement, and for some time to come.




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