"Ballads of Living and Dying" by Marissa Nadler

a Review by Anna Maria Stjärnell

Marissa Nadler's debut has already got much praise. Her soft voice and gently plucked guitar can't disguise the darkness of her songs. Her sigh of a vocal on "Fifty Five Falls" is nothing short of breathtaking. The spooky nature of the song unfolds slowly. "Hay Tantos Muertos" has words by the great poet Pablo Neruda and is evocative and lush.

Nadler's reminiscent of Hope Sandoval and not just here. "Box of Cedar" is a lovely folk lament, it seems to have been recorded in the sixties rather than now. "Mayflower May" is another timewarp of a song. It seems ancient yet fresh. Nadler's singing is haunting.

"Ballads of living and dying" is quite a title for an album to live up to, but this one clearly does.

Posted on September 13, 2005