Laura Marling’s New Single “False Hope” Finds her On The Upper West Side (Stream It Here)
Laura In New York
“False Hope” is where Laura Marling throws in one of her deep album cuts and calls it the new single off Silent Movie. This isn’t bad, indeed with a full rock band behind her, it is Laura as a rock star after years of Laura as a folk rocker. But the thing is, randomly, compare it “Sophia” and it feels little slight, a little “this is quite good”, a little for all it has going for it, the lyric is a touch on the pedestrian side, the beat is strong, as strong as possible, but it doesn’t cut as deep as you’d expect.
The name on the tip of your tongue is Ryan Adams though it sounds more the Cardinals to me, and as much as I like Ryan, I prefer Laura. It is like Dylan covering Donovan.
Another romance gone wrong only this time it is Marling who is being challenged, she is uncomfortable, “there’s a party uptown but I don’t feel like I belong at all, do I?” The track takes place on the Upper West Side so I guess the transatlantic crossing was making a stopover. Is this her first New York song? Perhaps the rambunctiousness –completely unnecessary, but whatever, is a reflection of the cities energy. And also of her distracted nervousness. Usually, Laura doesn’t do jumpy but this is a jumpy song. Laura has explained that it is about being in New york City during hurricane Sandy which would account for the jumpiness, though it doesn’t sound particularly Hurricaneish!
Or, as noted, it is a deep album cut, a spreading of her sound and still a genre exercise. Not bad but we know there is better on the newbie.
Grade: B+
