Marissa Nadler – For My Crimes
Release Date: September 28, 2018
2018 was definitely the year that I found myself listening to some really dark, mellow shit. Doran Sorriaux from Blues Pills put out an amazing 4 song psychedelic folk EP, I discovered Amigo the Devil and his amazing new album Everything is Fine, and to my delight, Marissa Nadler released her new brilliant album, For My Crimes.
It’s hard to believe that Marissa Nadler has a musical life spanning 14 years so when I first discovered her last year, it was like opening Pandora’s Box. The music just kept coming. The haunting ballads, the ethereal, somber vocals, and sparse guitar playing that made up her songs drew me in like a moth to a flame. One would think that over time, this kind of presentation would eventually get old but Marissa Nadler just continued to grow upon each released work with her latest, For My Crimes, being her best to date.
Opening with the murder ballad “For My Crimes”, it is a haunting story of someone about face their fate for the crimes (whatever they may be) which kind of reminded me of a modernized version of “Long Black Veil.” “I Can’t Listen to Gene Clark Anymore” is a beautiful yet lamenting ballad that has Nadler singing that she “can’t listen to Gene Clark without you anymore.” This song is followed by the song “Are You Really Going to Move to the South” which gives the listener the idea that there is some significant loss here. Like Queen once sang: “Is this the real life? Is this just fantasy?” Either way, Nadler paints these storyboards of lyrics with so much conviction that it leaves one wondering if these songs are merely stories or are they something deep rooted in her own life?
For My Crimes, again, is Marissa Nadler’s best release to date. She has come into her own as a modern troubadour storyteller that would’ve been very much at home in the Laurel Canyon era of folk music. Nadler’s melancholy vocals and sparse musical arrangements command the listener’s attention to the lyrics which, in my opinion, is the most important part of what Nadler’s doing. For My Crimes is an amazing collection of stories put to music that left me captivated, intrigued, and full of questions. A truly great album, in my opinion, is one that makes you want to go back for repeat listens; maybe to try and decipher the lyrics or maybe to just be swept away but the dreamy, late night sounds of Nadler’s music. For My Crimes is that kind of album making it an instant folk classic that will sound as good 20 years from now as it does today.
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