Bleak, dreary, full of sorrow, this latest record from American singer, songwriter Marissa Nadler drags us through the dwelling of her melancholy. Disguised by a beautiful, timeless voice and soft, sombre acoustics the details of her torment and pain escape in this frightfully dark journey through personal and emotional struggles. Its calm, ethereal demeanor lures one in as strummed acoustic chords sing their harmony underneath her bare, vulnerable words. Mournful strings occasionally creep in as the songs grow, twisting tone and mood as they chime in with shadowing conclusions for her illustrious stasis of beautiful despair.
Its her lyrics that twist the knife. The instrumentals and her voice are poised in that precarious position, devoid of jollity, caught between beauty and sorrow, suspended in a timeless space of reflection turned to light. As one listens closer to her words moan a great sorrow as pain emerges, heartbreak, separation and distance ache sorely. Journeying deeper into its final tracks, the words take on darker tones as fractions of paranoia and an abusive relationship rears its ugly head through the poetry. It may be a far to literal interpretation on my part. Music as art can often be a ventilation that takes a different form on exit but her open and vulnerable singing within this ethereal state of reflection sends shivers down the spine. "You're only harmless when you sleep".
Its a moody, introspective record and that's what I like. I take great solace in these calming, shadowy records and as an artist she strikes me as the sort to channel this single part of herself. It culminates to a vivid and alluring state of hyper reality when opening up to the poetry of her words. I'm fondly reminded of Mazzy Star and Chelsea Wolfe listening to this newest release and also remember her music having a far more "happy" vibe. Its why I had not gotten into her records that deep before but this turn of pace since I last heard her just happens to be my cup of tea.
Favorite Tracks: For My Crimes, You're Only Harmless When You Sleep, Said Goodbye To That Car
Rating: 7/10