As far as debut albums go, Marika Hackman’s We Slept At Last is as about as impressive as they come. The English singer-songwriter already has four EPs under her belt, and the time spent honing her sound has certainly paid off. Hackman has always possessed a mature, richly layered sound with her instrumentations and brooding vocals, and her songwriting talent, too, is in full force on We Slept At Last, as the songs on it have a way of creeping up on the listener with their beautiful subtleties not always instantly noticeable. Of course, her voice is one such subtlety, and the pure and unassuming tone within is one extremely versatile—allowing her to write songs that are varied stylistically but similar thematically. The introspective ballad, “Claude’s Girl”, exemplifies this, and on the track, Marika’s voice takes the spotlight with stunning vocal harmonies tying it together. Meanwhile, on efforts like the lush and lovely “Animal Fear”, Marika opts for a more maximal approach. Zithers, synths, and background vocals blend together to create an organic sound that leads the listener on a journey, describing in vivid musical terms the images that Marika’s lyrics evoke. As evidenced by the dusky cover art, We Slept At Last is an album filled with quiet rooms and overcast days. The tracks on the album possess a dark, peaceful beauty that is more commonly found in paintings than in music, and it is this thematic consistency that makes the body of work a moving and memorable listen. In many ways, We Slept At Last is like a tapestry from ancient times: looking from a distance gives an overall impression, but a closer reading of individual scenes tells you a story. Emphasis of this subdued, reflective character gives Marika a common thread which ties together the album into a singular experience. Much of this impression is due to the meticulously crafted instrumental and vocal arrangements on the album, and they undoubtedly give the songs a clarity and grace that seems to be from a past era (the incredible string arrangements alone evidence this). In short, We Slept At Last is a work of unusual artistry, and it sets the bar extremely high for future releases of hers. Marika's created a work here that is worth an entire career, and though the album sets her up for a big 2015 and beyond, perhaps more importantly, it marks her talent as even more legitimate than the hype that's surrounded her up to this point. We Slept At Last is streaming in full on her SoundCloud now, so you can either head there to listen to it, check out our particular highlights from it below, or go straight to iTunes to pre-order it now. It's out tomorrow (February 16).
Marika Hackman