Marissa Nadler, 2011

At the beginning, Marissa Nadler sounds like any other album that she’s recorded. “The Sun Always Reminds Me of You” is a step in the new direction, but not a big one. That step doesn’t occur until “Baby I Will Leave You In The Morning”. The second half also sounds the same, but with “The Wedding” and “In A Magazine” to provide contrast. This is the side with less reverb and like the early records it shows off her gorgeous vocals. All in all, this is a normal Marissa Nadler album. The only difference is less reverb and four new gems in her catalogue. Lovely and intimate, this is a masterpiece from Marissa Nadler. Stripped of some of the gorgeous production of previous records, she presents her elemental self here. And it’s beautiful. The ghosts of her voice are present for many of the songs, but a new element on many songs is the presence of her voice without reverb. Although there are many tales of woe on the album, it still has the warm presence of a compelling storyteller. Where previous records presented an ethereal maiden as troubadour, Marissa Nadler removes that alien aspect of her persona to reveal the woman we always knew her to be and she’s no less beautiful and amazing. It’s unlikely that a more haunting album could be found this year and there’s great pleasure in that Marissa Nadler has recorded it.