I Speak Because I Can, Laura Marling

'My husband left me last night/Left me a poor and lonely wife/I cooked the meals and he got the life'

What a way to open a song. It's simply one of the most powerful verses I've ever heard. The striking word play of the man leaving you think would start the narrative of the song, but it immediately reverts back to the woman, reminding us of Marling's focus throughout the album. The whole song has this mythical quality, reminding the listener of Penelope and Odysseus. Yet what I find so startling is that it could be applied to any time period. From the Ancient Greeks, through to a Bronte heroine, a woman of the modern age ('I cooked the meals and he got the life' could still ring very true in many 'equal' households), or Laura herself dealing with her break-up with Charlie Fink (some bitterness regarding his public outpouring of their relationship in the main refrain?). Marling's folk music really lends itself well to this timeless quality which is striking for a woman of just 20.

Musically, too, the song plays upon folk convention beautifully. It starts with a quiet guitar, but then through the song, it becomes more worldly, incorporating a really stirring sitar, and the drums gradually becoming more heavy, then you get these little quiet interludes linking into the lyrics wonderfully. I love the introduction of the man's backing vocal, reminding us of how she's still haunted by her husband, their memories, and the prospect of his return.

The song builds to such a powerful crescendo, some of the most emotional of recent years even if the narrative of the song is relatively ambiguous (has she cheated on her husband? has her husband left on a voyage? etc.) The voice she inhabits is totally different from anything else she's done, taking on a woman who's left lonely, trying to 'figure out what she believes.' For me, Laura Marling is the voice of womanhood for our generation.