FEATURE:
Second Spin
Billie Marten – Writing of Blues and Yellows
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A year ago today…
I named Billie Marten’s debut album, Writing of Blues and Yellows, as my album of the decade. Released on 23rd September, 2016, this is an album (as I have said before) that hit me when I first heard it. In terms of voices, I don’t think there is anyone who quite has the same contours and blend of sweetness and huskiness that Billie Marten does! That album was released when she was seventeen. I could feel aspects of her home and daily life, but there was so much bravery and honesty from someone who was writing these beautiful Folk/Acoustic numbers. Many artists like her obfuscate and create these gorgeous tapestries without getting to who they really are and subjects that might create some tension. I will not go through the entire album like I have done before, but I think Writing of Blues and Yellows is one which got some love when it was released but I don’t hear many of the songs on the radio. The original release of the album contains thirteen tracks, and they range in length from 2:14 (It’s a Fine Day) to 6:11 (Untitled). I like how the longest track is the penultimate number, and we get the shortest track at the end. Writing of Blues and Yellows has so many fascinating stories and vocal performances by Marten. I am not sure whether the majority of the album was recorded at home or in a professional studio, as we get this warm and very intimate sound like the teenage Marten is in her bedroom and delivering these songs with the Yorkshire countryside out of her window – Marten lived in Ripon at the time but has since moved to London.
La Lune, and Bird are exquisite openers where we are treated to the real beauty and breadth of Marten’s voice. The guitar work is delicate-yet-powerful; Marten manages to infuse something sensuous, vulnerable and wary together in these songs…and one falls helplessly for them. Emily is my favourite track, as there is a darkness in the vocals and some ominous electric guitar that is met with some ghostly backing vocals by Marten. I sort of think of Marten as a cross between Joni Mitchell and Kate Bush, in that she can write wonderful character songs that are ethereal and unusual; she also pens these heartfelt and raw songs about herself that reminds me of Blue-era Mitchell. Green has some lovely percussion and a nice moment where Marten sort of tees the song up and there is wonderful flow and energy rush. Live is a sense of a teenage Marten wanting to explore and see more of the world whereas, conversely, Teeth, is her hiding depression and anxiety and saying in the song, how she tells people she is fine and is lying through her teeth. I like the fact we end with a cover song: Marten took on Opus III’s 1992 hit, It’s a Fine Day (providing it a more wistful and homemade sound; I think we can hear Marten’s dad mowing the lawn in the background!). There is a simplicity in the songwriting. Most of the song titles are either one or two-worded; the compositions are never too layered, but we get so much nuance from Marten’s storytelling and incredible voice.
Marten’s second album, Feeding Seahorses by Hand, was released last year. There is a bit of a shift where we get more of a political angle in some songs. Marten had moved to London by this time, and one can feel the weight and ups and downs of the city reflected in some of the songs. I go back to Writing of Blues and Yellows as there seems to be this innocence and sense of warmth, but Marten is also very frank in terms of her lyrics and never shies away from tougher topics and deeper conversation. Heavy Weather is one of those songs that sort of catches the breath and gets to the heart! Alongside Emily, Heavy Weather is among my favourite tracks – placed near the centre of the album, it provides a nice pivot and is beautifully sequenced between Green, and Unaware. There is not a weak moment on Writing of Blues and Yellows- none of the tracks that are only for a certain mood and place. Every track wins you over for a different reason, which makes me wonder why there were not more reviews for it - and, at the end of 2016, why no music sites and polls placed Writing of Blues and Yellows in the best of the year! I was not overly-aware of Billie Marten’s music before her debut album arrived. She had already put out two E.P.s – Ribbon in 2014; As Long As in 2015 -, but it is amazing to hear what talent and ability she had at such a tender age!
Despite the fact that one does not hear too many Writing of Blues and Yellows songs on the radio now, there were some great reviews for the album; it is pleasing to hear that Marten is working on new material and she is creating the foundations of a third album. This is what CLASH wrote when they reviewed her debut:
“If there is any requirement we must advise before playing ‘Writing Of Blues And Yellows’, it is that you shut yourself away in a room and just listen. And hope for no background noise.
Billie Marten’s thoughtfully crafted debut is a collection of tales, retrospect and self-examination. Candidly honest about her periods of mental health, ‘Teeth’ places you in the centre of her overwrought mind: “I’m writing this in a bad way, no one can hear what my head says.” Her vocals are infused with a fragility that drills down into your consciousness, whether you want it to or not. Full of contradictions, ‘Lionhearted’ highlights the songwriter’s desire to be braver, yet she fails to acknowledge that she has achieved exactly this through her overt lyrical sincerity, which is intrinsic to the success of this record.
‘Writing Of Blues And Yellows’ manages to be flawlessly delicate in terms of instrumentals and tone, drawing on inspirations from her quaint upbringing in her home-town of Ripon just near the Yorkshire Dales. Fixating upon the wilderness and nature, this is a theme that is inter-weaved throughout songs ‘La Lune’, ‘Heavy Weather’ and ‘Hello Sunshine’; later on ‘Live’, she explores her close relationship with her family, versus her yearning to explore and find some adventure.
Billie Marten delivers a pragmatic album that explores the equilibrium between her positive and negative outlooks on life, whilst confirming that being preoccupied with our own contemplation is and will forever be an ongoing process of the human condition”.
If you have not heard Writing of Blues and Yellows then do so, as it is a majestic and wonderfully enriching album that signalled a confident debut from an exceptional young songwriter. I wonder whether a third album will find Marten sticking with a more acoustic-driven sound, or whether she will go more electric. Will the themes shift from the personal to the political more? Not to compare Marten to other people, but Laura Marling released Song for Our Daughter – my album of the year – earlier this year near the start of the pandemic. So many people were made to feel safe and strong listening to the album at a very difficult time. This is what Billie Marten can do with her songs. I will leave things there, but I think many more people should be aware of the beauty of Writing of Blues and Yellows. So many of the songs deserve airtime, and one should not assume that a lack of urgency and volume denotes songs that are light and pass you by. The music on Writing of Blues and Yellows carries a lot of weight and strain at some moments, whereas one is in an open field looking down at a river in the sunshine the next It is a hugely impressive work from one of the U.K.’s most-underrated songwriters. Some prefer Marten’s second album to her debut – I have a very soft spot for Writing of Blues and Yellows (as much as I admire Feeding Seahorses by Hand). Back in 2016, Writing of Blues and Yellows provided me with direction and comfort when I needed it a lot. I am always thankful to the album for helping me during…
A pretty tough time.