User Score
8.6

Universal acclaim- based on 120 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Negative: 8 out of 120
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  1. May 28, 2013
    10
    This album is a flawless work of art with a myriad of merging themes and a cyclical return to the same chords used from beginning, in the album closer, 'Saved These Words', one of the highlights.
    I recommend: Opening medley, When Were You Happy? (And How Long Has That Been) and Saved These Words.
  2. May 31, 2013
    10
    I had never heard about Laura, so I gave her a try and wow I was surprised. Beautiful melodies, vocals and lyrics that form a sophisticated and clearly epic album that could become a classic.
  3. Jun 1, 2013
    9
    ‘Once I Was An Eagle’ is the fourth album from Laura Marling and with producer Ethan Johns they have created a masterpiece. Shy in her live performances on record this English rose turns the spotlight on herself and opens up in a way that is both honest and brave. The album, split into two sections by an interlude, is a stripped back affair, just guitar and cello with the occasional flurry‘Once I Was An Eagle’ is the fourth album from Laura Marling and with producer Ethan Johns they have created a masterpiece. Shy in her live performances on record this English rose turns the spotlight on herself and opens up in a way that is both honest and brave. The album, split into two sections by an interlude, is a stripped back affair, just guitar and cello with the occasional flurry of drums or keys allowing the listener easier access to Marling’s exquisite voice and confessional lyrics. The opening suite of seven songs manage to blend almost seamlessly and yet amazingly retain their individuality. Guitar motifs crop up throughout as Marling sings of loss, heartbreak and naivety and it is in this first section that all the comparisons to Joni Mitchell will be made. But there are also traces of Dylan especially in the ‘Master Hunter’ with its Tangled Up In Blue/It Ain’t Me Babe hybrid. The second half of the record is closer to her previous work and has more elements of Dylan but also nods to The Band, Velvet Underground, acoustic Zepplin and Aimee Mann. It is less raw than the first half but only just and the songs are slightly more fleshed out with instruments but the quality remains the same. Marling has the ability in her voice to range from angelic highs to whiskey soaked rasps that add real dynamics to these tales of relationships gone awry. But I think the most striking thing here is how mature the content and the song writing are, let us not forget that Marling is only 23. With an album this good it’s hard to know how she will ever be able to top it but for now we can just savour her ‘Blood On The Tracks’. Expand
  4. Sep 6, 2013
    10
    Without a doubt a masterpiece of an album. Laura has always poured her heart and soul into every offering and in that way, Once I Was An Eagle is no different. There is a lot of heart here. But she ultimately feels empowered on this album. She sneers, she laments and she offers advice, all from a superior vantage point (hence eagle). She has always sounded like an old soul in a young bodyWithout a doubt a masterpiece of an album. Laura has always poured her heart and soul into every offering and in that way, Once I Was An Eagle is no different. There is a lot of heart here. But she ultimately feels empowered on this album. She sneers, she laments and she offers advice, all from a superior vantage point (hence eagle). She has always sounded like an old soul in a young body (she's only 23), but with this record she skillfully balances wisdom with reckless abandon. There is immediacy here, there is the odd bit of savage six-string banging and as always there are subtly beautiful pieces. It feels entirely cohesive, honest, well thought out and well risked. Best album of the year for me. Expand
  5. Jun 12, 2013
    10
    Laura flies low, under the radar. Since my initiation to her music on "From the Basement" where she performed "Your Only Doll (Dora)" and blew me away. Since, I've managed to see her 10 times live, though I live "far away" in California. But not apparently so far since she's moved to LA. (She responds by returning to London for "hundreds" of surprise performances. She also wrote some songsLaura flies low, under the radar. Since my initiation to her music on "From the Basement" where she performed "Your Only Doll (Dora)" and blew me away. Since, I've managed to see her 10 times live, though I live "far away" in California. But not apparently so far since she's moved to LA. (She responds by returning to London for "hundreds" of surprise performances. She also wrote some songs for the Royal Shakespeare Company. I've seen her perform many of these songs live. Now I can try to realize from the Album that and how all this music comes as a whole. Because this is an "Album" as it was in the old days. There's a lot to digest in this album, but that makes the listen sound like a challenge. Laura is a great singer, guitar player, composer, and Performer. It just gets better. Expand
  6. May 28, 2013
    10
    (Written for an English assignment)

    Marling and her guitar are back again, and like drips of water steadily becoming a stream, Take The Night Off begins. Marling's voice is more enchanting than ever (long gone is the slightly irritating estuary English from parts of Alas, I Cannot Swim) The easy, soothing introduction to Eagle… makes way for frenetic percussion and rising and falling
    (Written for an English assignment)

    Marling and her guitar are back again, and like drips of water steadily becoming a stream, Take The Night Off begins. Marling's voice is more enchanting than ever (long gone is the slightly irritating estuary English from parts of Alas, I Cannot Swim) The easy, soothing introduction to Eagle… makes way for frenetic percussion and rising and falling guitar chords, reflective of Ms. Marling's new found avian alter-ego. The first four songs interlink, in the style of an Indian Raga, twisting a turning, changing shape and form, as Marling's liquid voice releases lyrical gem after lyrical gem.
    It's true, as many reviewers have stated, that the first half of the album (Take The Night Off to Devil's Resting Place) is more united thematically than the second. However, it's in the second half that you realise that Marling must have some Well of the Muses stored in her garden, because she draws from so many emotions and viewpoints. Delicate strands and ideas all pulling together, bringing Eagle… into a second dimension.
    She has clear influences, yes. Something most reviewers mention, and she's been called a "third-rate Joni Mitchell" by one reviewer, but it's not where she draws from, it's where she takes them to. Master Hunter clearly alludes to Tangled Up In Blue, Bob Dylan's ode to love. Little Bird has bossa nova influences from time to time, and Undine has Blue Grass touches with it's lilting guitar mastery. However, the lyrics transcend her forbears, and the melody rises to the occasion. A masterpiece.
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  7. Jul 14, 2013
    10
    'Once I was an Eagle' seems to be a somewhat aftermath of Marling's previous effort 'A Creature I Don't Know' (an album which has grown to be one of my favourites, not just by her). The overall production and style is reminiscent of her third album, but with a noticeably more minimal approach, notably in the first half of the album. The opening four tracks merge seamlessly together to'Once I was an Eagle' seems to be a somewhat aftermath of Marling's previous effort 'A Creature I Don't Know' (an album which has grown to be one of my favourites, not just by her). The overall production and style is reminiscent of her third album, but with a noticeably more minimal approach, notably in the first half of the album. The opening four tracks merge seamlessly together to create a 16 minute soundscape centred on her and her guitar, and this continues...throughout the whole album, with sparse instrumentation which continues and continues, in fact, this does not change until the 10th track 'Where Can I Go?' where we are introduced to a light drumkit and pretty organ.
    Her lyrics on the other hand never cease to impress me, the way she takes characters form her own life and her own thoughts and reflects all these in her songs is unique to her and shows her influences from the folk greats. Her ongoing maturity as a songwriter is evident in this album, contrasted with her debut album 'Alas I Cannot Swim'. Not only her lyrics, but her voice has also grown up with the music she produces, and the way she presents her person through the microphone could not have been any different for this album.
    The low point of the album for me is definitely 'Little Love Caster'; this seems to be a very tedious and almost self indulgent noddle on the guitar, strongly reminiscent of the previous album's track 'Night After Night'. Despite the interesting musical ideas and lyrics, the natural sound effects seem to be an overly pushed gimmick in my opinion.
    My favourite track is definitely 'Where Can I Go?', where she explores the lyrical theme that suits her best, harkening to her younger past and acknowledging a 'curse' and constantly addressing the listener. The guitar plays few chords and is backed up by a beautiful organ part which swells along with the song to the end, but doesn't build to a climax.
    I believe several tracks like 'Once' and 'Master Hunter' save this album from being a lackluster affair of banality, but it's the contrast between the near humdrum of tracks like 'You Know' and 'Devil's Resting Place' (seems more than just a reprise of 'Master Hunter') and these more interesting, adventurous songs that make this album the intriguing piece of art that it is, showing Marling's diverse guitar playing, captivating lyrics and her massively developed sound credit to Ethan Johns in the progression from Charlie Fink's stuck-in-the-world-of-just-folk production.
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  8. Jan 26, 2014
    7
    I enjoyed the album. The lyrics are mature, her voice and singing is great to listen to, and the music is serene. The production is also appreciated. I specifically liked how the first half felt like one big track, as every end of a song had the same music of the next one's beginning.

    However, i'm not sure if i'll be remembering any of this by the end of the year. While it's pretty
    I enjoyed the album. The lyrics are mature, her voice and singing is great to listen to, and the music is serene. The production is also appreciated. I specifically liked how the first half felt like one big track, as every end of a song had the same music of the next one's beginning.

    However, i'm not sure if i'll be remembering any of this by the end of the year. While it's pretty good, i can't consider it a 'masterful work' like some seem to call it.
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  9. Oct 26, 2020
    8
    A very long but very good folk album. One of the most surprising aspects of the record it the age of Laura Marling when it was released. It certainly sounds like the work of a more mature and more established artist. It has plenty of nods to the past, lots of Nick Drake vibes and its an album from a tradition in folk music that takes inspiration from the East. I personally feel it couldA very long but very good folk album. One of the most surprising aspects of the record it the age of Laura Marling when it was released. It certainly sounds like the work of a more mature and more established artist. It has plenty of nods to the past, lots of Nick Drake vibes and its an album from a tradition in folk music that takes inspiration from the East. I personally feel it could do with a bit of trimming in the same way that some of Ryan Adams records can. It's not that there is any bad material here but due to the lack of variety in style and tone, 16 songs for a debut is overly long. Distilled into 11 tracks or even split across a double by design it would have been on another level. Expand
  10. Nov 19, 2013
    9
    The only artist whose progress from a precocious 17-yr old to a mature 23-yr old, I have followed fervently. And yet again, she doesn't disappoint. "Once I was an Eagle", is a progressively more mature and an elaborate album from this virtuous folk musician. This album for once and for all corroborates, the parallels drawn by critics to- Joni Mitchell and Bob Dylan.
    For this album she
    The only artist whose progress from a precocious 17-yr old to a mature 23-yr old, I have followed fervently. And yet again, she doesn't disappoint. "Once I was an Eagle", is a progressively more mature and an elaborate album from this virtuous folk musician. This album for once and for all corroborates, the parallels drawn by critics to- Joni Mitchell and Bob Dylan.
    For this album she teamed up with Producer/Percussionist Ethan Johns and cellist Ruth De Tuberville, the trio have a characteristic dark intimacy that perfectly compliments the songs that are acerbic and emotional.
    The first 7 songs form the first part of the album, are segued together as each song morphs into another and are impossible to pick apart. The profundity of her very cogitative lyrics, that first catapulted her to fame, is even stronger on this one. In the title song "I was an Eagle" she draws an analogy of an eagle as herself and dove as her hapless lover, which establishes her as a very clever poet. With each song the metaphorical analysis of her waning romance immerses the listener so deep as he/she is bound to tag along into a surreal journey of empathetic catharsis. We can also see her guitar playing prowess in "Little Love Caster".
    The second part of the album starts with an interlude, where you again see the wonderful trinity of the three immensely talented musicians. Then what follows is another spell of brilliance, with songs like "Where can I go?" and "Once", completely taking over the listener and is bound to draw in more easy-listening fans, thanks to its beguiling tune and Marling's distinctive speak-singing.
    This album is redolent of her imperious character, as a person, with songs like "Master Hunter" substantiating that hypothesis. Some may argue of intrinsic androgynous element in the album, but I for one, don't really find it so, as she is just asserting her stand on things. I also find critics all over, drawing out correspondence of the album to her past lovers, I feel that it is a direct encroachment on her privacy, because let's be clear here, she is a poet (yes she is) and personally speaking, contrary to popular belief, very rarely real-life experiences give rise to poetry or in this case lyrics, her maturity in every album remains a testimony to that.

    Let's face it, yet again, her brilliance will go unnoticed as she can never stoop down to the "POP" (Programming pun here) level. But with 4 impressive albums at this young age, she is going to be a legend, not implying she isn't already, but I am talking of being in the ranks of Bob Dylan and Joni Mitchell.
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  11. Nov 15, 2013
    10
    It's November so I think it's safe for me to say this is my favorite album of this year. It has everything, the voice, the lyrics, the music, it's great. The world needs more music like this.
  12. Jan 17, 2014
    9
    A big album. A bit too long for so heavy musics... Anyway, Laura Marling made her best work in Once I Was an Eagle. The first four songs introduce the person in her aura, which is softened after the Intelude and broken in the last song. One of the best albuns of 2013
  13. Apr 15, 2019
    8
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Once I Was an Eagle is a narrative, interrupted only at "Interlude." The journey till "Interlude" is a seamless dream Marling takes the listener on, with songs throughout the album that eschew most song-structures. The subject is tall and defiant as the album opens, but slowly becomes more weighed down by self-doubt and demons as the first half of the album progresses. The second half of the album (proceeding "Interlude") sees the subject dropping self-confidence, embracing flaws, and acknowledging vulnerability; the subject matures and looks themselves in the mirror, often speaking more directly to their lover. The juxtaposition of the subject's post- and pre-evolution is just beautifully shown in the lyrics of the first half's "I Was an Eagle" and the second half's "Little Bird": "You were a dove/And I rose above you and preyed" and then "Little bird, if I only knew/Maybe I'd be more like you."

    Marling champions the sticky feat of creating a continuously flowing song-to-song album. She does so without creating an album that amounts to 13 songs that altogether equate to song-lyrics playing musical chairs; different lyrics, same song. Marling beats this, while echoing riff motifs with her guitar over the course of the album, most impressively.

    The guitar-laden narrative is artfully played, and the lyrics pull the listener through—either with impregnable fire or vulnerable serenity.
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  14. Apr 20, 2018
    10
    I've been listing this album since it was released in 2013 and still love it until now.
    This album is mature, strong and brave with beautiful melodies & lyrics.
    If I have to choose only one album to listen for a whole year, this is it.
  15. Feb 12, 2022
    6
    It's considered one of the best singer-songwriter records if the 21st century for a reason. It's simplistic but still so versatile, the opening three song suite is a higlight in songwriting. Laura's performance is equally captivating and gives nuanced inflections changing the meaning of phrases and words.
Metascore
86

Universal acclaim - based on 36 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 36 out of 36
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 36
  3. Negative: 0 out of 36
  1. Magnet
    Jun 18, 2013
    70
    Marling is the gutsiest of chamber folkies. [No.99, p.57]
  2. Jun 12, 2013
    74
    It’s easily the most charming she’s ever been--she's no master hunter, but she doesn't need to be.
  3. Jun 5, 2013
    90
    There are two primary things that make Once I Was An Eagle take flight: Lyrics and progression, which together make the album intelligent, confident, and, perhaps most importantly, recursive.