Marissa Nadler Transcends Time and Space on "The Path of the Clouds"
Photo by Ebru Yildiz
Marissa Nadler has been at this for a while. The Boston-based singer/songwriter began her career in 2004 with Ballads of Living and Dying, where she introduced the world to her signature brand of sombre, dreamy folk music. Nadler became known in independent music circles for her unique blends of dream pop, gothic country, and psychedelia, cultivating a sound equal parts gloomy and tranquil over the course of eight studio albums. Nadler reached wider audiences through her collaborations with artists from across the music landscape, lending her vocals to projects from artists such as post-rock outfit Sailors With Wax Wings and atmospheric black metal band Xasthur. In 2019, she collaborated with Cave In frontman and former Converge bassist Stephen Brodsky to deliver Droneflower, where she found herself crooning over dissonant, reverberating guitars reminiscent of 1980s ethereal wave.
On her ninth album, The Path of the Clouds, Nadler showcases some of her most polished soundscapes to date. Levitating organs and sparkling synths bolster lyrical narratives rooted in true crime and gothic cinema, embracing the melancholy of Nadler’s earlier work while simultaneously livening her instrumental palette. The project’s tracklist is interspersed with a myriad of collaborators, including Cocteau Twins bassist Simon Raymonde and experimental harpist Mary Lattimore. Raymonde’s contributions are never more apparent than on “And I Dream of Running”, where textured guitar chords and Nadler’s hushed vocals hearken back to the ambient pop of Victorialand-era Cocteau Twins.
