I’m not quite sure what to say about this record. I’ll say this, first: I like it. And if it was the first Marissa Nadler record I had ever heard, I would probably think it was fantastic. It is a departure from her previous work, which was mostly limited to her voice and guitar. The songs on this album are much more lush in their arrangements and production. This should appeal somewhat more to indie fans. I have to commend her for trying something a bit different. This may help shed the innapropriate freak-folk label she has often been stuck with. Thankfully, Nadler’s folk songs are still the heart of this material. The record takes strength from its novel approach, but neglects Nadler’s greatest assets at times: her voice and guitar.
Nadler is the owner of one of most beautiful voices in music. Its airy, haunting qualities render it out of time, suiting it wonderfully to her tales of isolation, loss, and death (cheery stuff, I know). Opener “Heart Paper Lover,” marries this voice to wurlitzer and theremin to great effect. The only true misstep comes with “Mary Come Alive.” The drum machine just sounds so out of place here. The middle of the album is the highlight. Nadler’s fingerpicked guitar is a thing of beauty. While she plays throughout, “Ghosts & Lovers” and “Brittle, Crushed, & Torn” are really the only two songs that utilize her skill to the fullest. She is accompanied only by a staccato piano on “The Whole is Wide,” maybe my favorite song here. Silvia, one of the characters from her last album, the triumphant Song’s III: Bird on the Water, makes a return appearance on the song. Its a perfect fit in Nadler’s canon. “Loner” tracks her voice against itself to create a chorus of ghosts, and the organ only heightens the effect. A problem on a few of the more arranged tracks is that Nadler’s fluid voice isn’t given enough room to expand. The (relatively) upbeat closer, “Mistress on a Sunny Day,” is an example.
Bottom-line: This is a very good record, and absolutely worth a listen. But my advice is for those new to Marissa Nadler is to listen to Songs III first, then Little Hells, and finally to her earliest two albums.
Also, check out the excellent video for the song “River of Dirt,” below (Nadler isn’t in it, in case you’re wondering). The song works well with the more fleshed out sound.
Marissa Nadler - River of Dirt - Directed by Joana Linda from Kemado Records on Vimeo.
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