(27 votes, average: 2.85 out of 5)
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Marissa Nadler – Songs III Bird On the Water
Reviewed by Mike
Songs III: Bird On the Water is Nadler’s third full length album, and was one of a handful of exceptional 2007 releases. Nadler’s beautiful singing and ear for “out there” instrumentation gives her a head start with her folk peers. Of course this is no ordinary folk music. It’s incredibly melancholic, but in a way that is more like a small patch of aspen in the fall than the passing of a loved one(even though many of the lyrics touch on the latter).
1. Diamond Heart: 9.6
This is the sound of an artist coming into her/his own. An absolutely outstanding rumination on finding either a lost love, a never-found love or an old friend.
And I look for you in the traffic seas
and the bombs I’m always frequenting
One of the most appetent musical moments I’ve heard in quite some time, recalling Neil Young’s “Heart of Gold”. The guitar playing is simple, yet pastoral. “Pastoral” is a word that describes much of this album. The music is alive and beautiful, balancing perfectly with the weighty lyrics.
2. Dying Breed: 8.0
Red is the color of memory
Blue is the way to green
Ominous chimes and swirling noises surround a simple acoustic guitar riff. Nadler’s stunning voice sings of colors and “dying breeds”.
3. Mexican Summer: 8.8
You can picture the heat distortions on the horizon, feel the dry heat, and smell the sweet scent of the desert wind. A floating, slow paced elecric guitar slowly carves out the circular arena in which the song is swimming.
4. Thinking of You: 7.5
A fairly straight forward number with an especially beautiful chorus. Nadler reaches some very difficult notes to create that atmosphere. An indie artist who can actually sing? Yes.
5. Silvia: 9.6
The arrangements are nearly perfect, with the hushed acoustic guitar weaving around an old sounding organ. I had the pleasure of first really experiencing this album in a rocky mountain national forest. On the road, the old abandoned school houses, ghost towns, parched aspen patches with bounding foxes and mountain meadows were a perfect fit for this exceptional song. As the rivers rushed by in the 100 degree heat wave likely caused by global warming, this line was caught in a loop:
The water is your friend
6. Bird On Your Grave: 7.5
Nadler adds some Crazy Horse guitar to liven this one up a bit.
7. Rachel: 8.5
I had you in the palm of my hand
and a fine old time it was
Lots of singing about dying, both the subject and author. More buzzing guitar on the outskirts, like some small storm in the high plains that stings, but only last for a few seconds. Despite the cold lyrics, the music suggests the protagonist lives on.
8. Feathers: 8.5
Subdued acoustic guitar playing sets up a stunning chorus with a raw sounding string section. The singing is for all intents and purposes angelic.
Sarah Sarah your eyes so blue
9. Famous Blue Raincoat: 8.0
And I hear that you’e building your little house
deep in the desert
You’re living for nothing
I hope your keeping some kind of record
A whispy old organ inhales and exhales around the acoustic guitar and contemplation of place, time and people on this Leonard Cohen cover.
10. My Love and I: 9.2
An enthusiastic acoustic guitar opens this song(as is the case for all the songs on III), setting up what sounds like a patch of sun over the previous ruminations, even if that patch of sun means one hundred years from now:
My love and I
Were walking down the road
In a dream that I had not so many years ago
And if my red blood will cease to flow
Your ghost may come where I will go
11. Leather Made Shoes: 9.4
Absolute despair in terms of the imagery in this song. However, this is betrayed by an almost triumphant organ and guitar, creating a visceral balance. Ulitmately, time betrays everyone, as we all age at the same time, and end up leaving that room with a box of faded feathers and leather made shoes.
Album Total: 8.6/10
Response Keywords after hearing this album:
melancholic, beautiful, pastoral, faded, yesteryear, woodland, hopeful, organic
You can buy the hard copy here:
