Marissa Nadler – Little Hells

2007’s songs iii: birds on the water was marissa nadler’s grieving album, and it was beholden to a kind of grief that made it a difficult record to approach. her pain was so specific that it seemed otherworldly (which i’m sure was the point), and was therefore difficult to empathize with. still, there were moments where nadler’s song-writing was able to connect, and did so with such a beauty and elegance that i could not stop listening to her.

little hells finds nadler not in the midst of grief, but rather at the moment where she’s accepted the loss and is on the brink of being able to move on. these songs explore the loneliness felt from the absence of a loved one, and questions whether they really are absent, as the memories of them still haunt every thought and action. this record feels very much like a continuation of the last, and in that sense, the quality of song-writing is consistent with what nadler has done before. some might be apprehensive toward this album simply because it boasts a more accessible sound, after all, the tenement of a good folk artist is their knowing how to say a lot with very little. rest assured though, because the austere approach that has guided her style for the better part of her career, and that has informed many of the more ‘gothic’ directions her music has taken is present here as well. in fact, nadler’s dreamy, reverberated vocals washing over distant organs and acoustic guitar lines, as they do on “loner,” work quite well to evoke the feelings of loneliness so prevalent in her lyrics; imagine a more folksy, cohesive sketches for my sweetheart the drunk.

while this is a very dark record, there are occasional pockets of light adorned throughout. it helps to think of songs iii as a cold, icy, and often unforgiving record, whereas little hells is more akin to the start of a warm thaw; by creating a more accessible sound while still maintaining the ethereal quality her music has always had, nadler has come up with a striking record and statement that makes her pain and longing all the more palpable.

Filed under: Album Review , 2009, little hells, marissa nadler