Laura Marling has released four albums in only seven years - and she's only just turned 25. Working on fresh material, fifth album Short Movie is now released. Self-produced, the songwriter worked extensively alongside drummer Matt Ingram and studio engineer Dan Cox during recent sessions. Short Movie has a cinematic wide eyed joy, and Marling's writing seems freer. False Hope, inspired by the experience of being tapped in a New York airb'n'b during hurricane sandy, swirls round in a sea of electric guitars. Gurdjieff's Daughter pulls a huge chorus out of its back pocket with the ease of somebody producing a lighter. There's a strain of playfulness, too. Strange Love sees Marling adopt the kind of stilted, burning delivery that should come free with a bit of wheat to chew on.
Short Movie is wonderfully unlike anything Marling has attempted before.