| T O P I C R E V I E W |
| lemonade kid |
Posted - 20/07/2015 : 20:25:52
BILLIE MARTEN
Acoustic melancholy in a minor key
Ribbons
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9nt7AIib7hw
RECORDS, REVIEWS
EP | Billie Marten Ð Ribbons
by For Folk's Sake ¥ 20 June 2014
Billie Marten is already fast becoming a bright, new presence in festivals and venues across the country Ð and sheÕs only 14 years old (now 16). Despite this, her songs contain a beauty and world weary maturity that has the ability to leave those twice her age green with envy, and her new EP, Ribbons, is a fine example of balladry and musical tenderness that is mastered to perfection.
Frankly, this EP is a must-hear for fans of gentle, finger-picked melodies and near-whispered vocals. MartenÕs delicate voice and guitar style provides an atmosphere similar to both Laura Marling and the Smoke Fairies, but with a power and timid conviction in her deliverance, best shown in the haunting ÔCrossÕ and a re-imagined cover of La RouxÕs ÔIn For The KillÕ. The influence of artists like Laura Marling on MartenÕs work is obvious, with a subtle crack in her voice and perfect instrumentation that doesnÕt drown the listener in unnecessary sound yet provides a fitting backdrop to her every word with a simplistic arrangement of percussion and strings.
Lyrically, Marten is really something special. The title track, ÔRibbonÕ, depicts Òthe secrets of the cityÓ seen through the eyes of the singer and provides the listener with vivid imagery of London shrouded in darkness. She describes the Òelusive light shining strange upon my faceÓ and Òthe train trailing sparks of goldÓ that adds a surreal and fantastic aura to the otherwise humdrum capital and suggests a maturity far beyond MartenÕs years. In ÔUnawareÕ, she talks of a bittersweet infatuation followed by ÔIÕd RatherÕ, in which she explores the idea of belonging Ð subject matter that can be interpreted and understood by anyone in todayÕs world. In all, I thoroughly recommend a listen to this EP and look forward to MartenÕs future compositions and presence in the British folk scene.
HEAVY WEATHER
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KvH4EnCvdfE
Out Of The Black
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UEjzBgMTJhc
Unaware
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sae_3oR66j0
Headlights
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=juUQ0Gg1lSU
Unaware at Reading
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a9fYxuay91k
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So much music, so little time. |
| 2 L A T E S T R E P L I E S (Newest First) |
| lemonade kid |
Posted - 25/04/2016 : 16:05:55
'Ribbon' by Billie Marten - Burberry Acoustic
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=48fggLVbBs4
Fourteen years old here...seriously talented for someone twice her age. Old soul bluesy minor key acoustic folk and a finger style so nice...
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The actual writing of a song usually comes in the form of a realisation.
I can't contrive a song. Ð GENE CLARK
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| lemonade kid |
Posted - 25/04/2016 : 16:01:25
In for the Kill
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8asU5jXzLE4
Billie Marten Ð As Long As EP
APR 20, 2016 / 8:13 AM / Posted by: Greg / ©earthtotheground.co
http://www.eartothegroundmusic.co/category/acoustic/
Album Review: Billie Marten Ð As Long As EP
The first time I heard Billie Marten sing was on an Ont Sofa episode. Her clarity was absolutely piercing. Imagine my surprise, then, to hear her opening line on her debut EP that sounded a bit muffled. It didnÕt ring true with the clarity that I had come to expect from this young singer songwriter. But then I listened more closely Ð the understated vocal is intentional and it gets more textured with each listen.
ÒRootsÓ is the rhythmic and subtle opener for MartenÕs As Long As EP. Take a bit of James TaylorÕs syncopated pop melody combined with a great lead vocalÉ okay, sure, think Carly Simon. MartenÕs voice is, really, timeless and beautiful. But itÕs the way that she delivers her lines that reminds me of music from the 70s. Her melancholy seeps through each line on ÒRoots,Ó an existential reflective piece thatÕs a great way to start the album.
The second track ÒCursiveÓ has gorgeous fingerpicking. When Marten enters with her soft, articulate vocals, the listener cannot help but be emotionally moved. ÒI will never beÉ myself.Ó Again, the song is introspective and conjures images of loneliness and solitude. The revelations of MartenÕs heart are gripping. In a world with so many talented young women favoring twee anthems about bebopping between boyfriends, it is a nice change of pace to hear a voice that seems to be crying out and requesting something deeper. In this way (and perhaps somewhat stylistically) sheÕs in the same class as Lily and Madeline.
ÒSheÕs under water again, somebodyÕs daughter or friendÉ nobodyÕs watchingÉ drowning in words so sweet.Ó Billie Marten is an absolute lyrical poet. The way, then, that she can deliver this powerful lines on ÒBirdÓ provide a brilliant mix of tenderness and empathy. ItÕs obvious that she knows and loves people deeply. To be frank, itÕs almost unsettling how gently Marten exposes the heart of her subjects and, ostensibly, herself.
The final title track is ÒAs Long As,Ó another acoustic song that lives in the melancholic minor chords. The fingerpicking pattern again sets our hearts at ease while also calling us not to be too comfortable. There are even some bluesy inflections on this one that merely scratch the surface of where Marten may go in her career. ÒWeÕll start over againÉ grow a new soft skinÉÓ The song is a call for renewal and rebirth; itÕs about looking back on scars and brokenness, but it seems to be urging listeners to emerge out of it. Stunning and beautiful.
Marten is a welcome change of pace voice in a crowded singer songwriter landscape. Her ability to tell these sorts of sad, tragic, emotional stories is really remarkable. Her talent is really still emerging, which is shocking in and of itself. IÕm genuinely looking forward to hearing where she goes from this EP. But thereÕs no need to rush; IÕll listen to this album several times over. Of course the four songs donÕt feel like enough, but they whet my appetite for more from this exquisite songstress.
Milk & Honey
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ErHsfeJbCCk
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The actual writing of a song usually comes in the form of a realisation.
I can't contrive a song. Ð GENE CLARK
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