Semper Femina Explained

Semper Femina
Type:studio
Artist:Laura Marling
Cover:Semper Femina - Laura Marling.jpg
Recorded:2016
Genre:Folk, folk rock, alternative rock
Length:42:19
Label:More Alarming Records
Producer:Blake Mills
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Semper Femina is the sixth studio album by British singer-songwriter, Laura Marling, and was released on 10 March 2017, on More Alarming Records. The album was produced by Blake Mills. The album's title is taken from the song "Nouel".

Themes

Described by Alexis Petridis of The Guardian as a "concept album about femininity and female relationships", the title Semper Femina, borrowed from the ancient poet Virgil, is an expression from a longer line of Latin poetry, which roughly translates to “woman is ever a fickle and changeable thing".[1]

Reception

Semper Femina received critical acclaim upon its release. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalised rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream publications, the album received an average score of 85, based on 31 reviews.

The album earned Marling a Grammy Award for Best Folk Album nomination.

Accolades

In The Village Voices Pazz & Jop, a poll regarding the best albums of the year as voted by more than 400 American music critics, Semper Femina tied with Valerie June's The Order of Time (2017) at the 89th spot, both LPs garnering 84 points.

PublicationAccoladeRank
The A.V. ClubThe Best Albums of 2017 So Far
ABC News50 Best Albums of 2017
AllMusicBest of 2017
Consequence of SoundTop 50 Albums of 2017
Digital Trends50 Best Albums of 2017
Drowned in SoundFavourite Albums of 2017
Earbuddy100 Best Albums of 2017
Esquire (UK Edition)50 Best Albums of 2017
Exclaim!Top 10 Folk and Country Albums of 2017
FoppThe Best in 2017
The GuardianThe Best Albums of 2017
Mojo2017: The Best of the Year
musicOMHTop 50 Albums Of 2017
NoiseyThe 100 Best Albums of 2017
NMENMEs Albums of the Year 2017
No RipcordThe Best Albums of 2017
PasteThe 50 Best Albums of 2017
QBest of the Best: 2017 in Music
The Sydney Morning HeraldTop 20 Albums of 2017
TrebleThe Top 50 Albums of 2017
UncutBest Releases of 2017
Under the RadarTop 100 Albums of 2017
The Village VoicePazz & Jop

Personnel

Musicians

Charts

Chart (2017)Peak
position
Australian Albums (ARIA)[2] 19
New Zealand Heatseekers Albums (RMNZ)[3] 5

Notes and References

  1. Web site: This woman's work: Laura Marling. DIY.
  2. Web site: ARIA Australian Top 50 Albums. Australian Recording Industry Association. 20 March 2017. 18 March 2017.
  3. Web site: NZ Heatseekers Albums Chart. Recorded Music NZ. 20 March 2017. 17 March 2017.