Review: Marissa Nadler - Little Hells (* * * *)

Boston-based singer/songwriter Marissa Nadler has consistently impressed with her beautiful, yet haunting, brand of folk music over the past five years. Her ethereal voice and often dark lyrics make her unique among her peers and have brought well-deserved critical acclaim. Her fourth album, Little Hells, is set for release next week and includes guests Myles Baer, Simone Pace (Blonde Redhead), and Dave Scher (Farmer Dave).

The beautifully sparse "Heartpaper Lover" opens the album with Nadler's dreamy voice relating a lonely love ballad over only some quiet wurlitzer. It's simple, yet gripping, and the style is found all over the record, especially on cuts like the warmer, acoustic "Little Hells," the striking "Ghosts & Lovers," and the piano-led "The Whole Is Wide." Each of these tunes float gently along without percussion and few instrumental embellishments, leaving space for the songs to breath and the focus to remain on Nadler's heartbreaking stories. As captivating as these moments are, however, the album benefits from some welcome variation. Several tracks on the record add a full band's worth of accompaniment to expand Nadler's signature style and the results are equally great. "Mary Come Alive," with its fascinating combination of drums, synths, and programming is eerie and almost sinister, while album highlights "River of Dirt" and "Mistress" lean toward a more traditional folk-rock sound.

While Nadler covers quite a bit of dark territory on the appropriately titled Little Hells, the album succeeds because of the balance achieved from the (relatively) approachable, less dreary material. That's not to say that anything on the record could be considered 'light listening,' but as she sings 'goodbye misery' on the final notes of "Mistress," a welcome glimmer of hope breaks through the haze of loneliness and doubt, a contrast that enhances, rather than detracts from, the generally bleak feeling built up over the record's 42 minutes.

Marissa Nadler has made what is not only another solid album, but a step forward and up as she continues to sweep us gently away into a world all her own. Little Hells has quickly become an early favorite of mine in the folk genre for 2009.

MP3 Saturday: Jon Boden, Wild Light, Marissa Nadler

Check out a song from each of these recommended artists. Some of the music is available only for a limited time, make sure you take a listen!


Jon Boden - "Has Been Calvary"

It's unlikely that you've heard of Jon Boden if you live in the U.S., but the British singer/songwriter has been making music with various folk groups for some time now. Both The Observer and The Guardian have good things to say about him, and for good reason; his classic folk sound and strong songwriting deserve attention. "Has Been Calvary" is the first single from his upcoming album, Songs from the Floodplain, which will be released March 2, 2009 in the U.K. Check it out below.

Has Been Calvary (MP3)
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Wild Light - "Heart Attack"

I've already written about Wild Light once before when they gave away another song, and now we have the pleasure of hearing a second track, "Heart Attack," one of my favorites from their upcoming album, Adult Nights. The song is available over at Spin, but only for a few more days, so go download it! Otherwise you'll have to wait until March 3rd when the record is released.

Heart Attack (Spin download page)
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Marissa Nadler - "River Of Dirt"

I don't know much about Marissa Nadler, except that the Boston singer/songwriter makes beautiful music, as evidenced by "River Of Dirt," the gorgeous, haunting first single from her new record Little Hells, which will be released on March 3rd. Her striking voice alone makes this song one you should hear, and provides yet another reason as to why March is shaping up to be a great month for music.

River Of Dirt (MP3)