One of the many things I love the most about being the writer of this blog is getting to hear some of the most amazing music that I would have never heard on my own. I get about 30-40 emails from PR people pushing their client bands on any given day. Punk, thrash metal, death metal, prog metal, and even some pop and jazz shows up from time to time. Of course, not all of it is amazing. However, the percentage of shitty music that I get presented with is astounding. Out of every 100 bands, one will be decent, one will be good, and one will be outstanding.
Getting pitched bands from PR people isn’t the only way I have stumbled upon some great hidden gems that became favorites of mine. For example, there is a “related artists” section on the music streaming platform Spotify at the bottom of each artist’s page for those who don’t know. This is where you are presented with recommendations for artists that are similar in style.
One evening in 2018, I was listening to former Mazzy Star vocalist Hope Sandoval‘s solo band The Warm Inventions on Spotify. While listening, I scrolled down and decided to check out what some of the related artists were. I saw a link to an artist named Marissa Nadler. I clicked on her link and streamed her song “Drive” from her 2014 release July. I was so taken back by how my mind and even my body reacted to this song. I felt like I had been falling towards water and the moment I submerged, the music kicked in giving me a sense of weightlessness, conflict, and struggle. All of this came from one song and I knew I had found something truly special.
As I shuffled through songs like “Divers of the Dust,” “Dead City Emily,” and “Hungry is the Ghost,” I was found myself absorbing the sound, the vibe, and the subtle energy of these songs. Marissa’s style takes me back to the mid-90s when I was cutting my teeth as a folksinger/songwriter here in Atlanta. Here, the local scene was booming with talented acts such as folksinger Danny Kahn, singer/songwriter Wendy Bucklew, and the underground Bosa Nova sounds of Cicada Sings. I found a profound connection to these artists, and hearing Marissa Nadler brought back those feelings was a remarkable feeling.
Musically, Marissa takes a minimalist approach instead of the slick, overproduced, and overactive playing of some other folky kind of artists. The sparse guitar playing complements her breathy and beautifully haunting vocals. Marissa’s music puts me in this beautiful, dark void of a place. At times the songs make me feel comforted and at ease. Other times I feel somewhat threatened and uneasy. This isn’t a bad feeling because when music has that much power and makes that impact, it goes beyond the average listening experience and becomes something so much more.
Lyrically, Marissa’s songs reflect the sound of her voice. Haunted, longing, and at times empty. I would even say that sometimes I think of her voice as one from the other side. What do I mean by that? Well, in my mind, the voice of Marissa Nadler sounds like the voice of someone who has left this existence for the other plane. A spirit trapped between our world and this other existence that is a mystery to us all.
This is quite an in-depth assessment of Marissa Nadler’s voice, I know. As a long-time atheist, I don’t believe in heaven nor hell, but I believe that there are free to roam spirits that have not crossed over to the other side. I have often wondered if death makes a sound, and if so, what does it sound like? Marissa’s voice gives me the impression that death could possibly be comforting and warm yet leaving one tortured, sad, and longing for release. Discovering Marissa Nadler was fate. It was what I needed right at that moment I had felt as if I had found something I didn’t know I was looking for.
Since that fateful evening in 2018, I now own everything that Marissa Nadler has put out. From album to album, I can hear growth in her writing and her performances. While the overall style of her music is consistent, the songs are so unique in the story that is being told that it never gets boring. Listening to Marissa Nadler is like nothing I have ever heard before. There isn’t a day that goes by that I don’t listen to at least one Marissa Nadler song. No matter what my mood is, it always hits the spot.
The melancholy sadness of Marissa Nadler’s music and lyrics make for the perfect soundtrack for the lost, the lonely, and the haunted. When I feel lost and don’t necessarily want the pick up of Iron Maiden or even the Grateful Dead, I go to Marissa Nadler to explore that darker place inside me. Peeling back the layers to find the source of this darkness, I am reminded that not all things need to be understood or found. Sometimes it’s best not to over-analyze the music and surrender to the flow.
Marissa Nadler’s The Path Of The Clouds is out October 29th. You can pre-order the album by clicking here https://linktr.ee/marissanadler
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