They told us ..... For more than 12 years Marissa Nadler has perfected her own take on the exquisitely sculpted gothic American song form.
On her seventh full-length,‘Strangers’, released on Bella Union, she has shed any self-imposed restrictions her earlier albums adhered to, stepped through a looking glass and created a truly monumental work. Her talent for powerfully juxtaposing the ominous and the beautiful is on full display.· Turning her writing to more universal themes, Nadler dives deep into a surreal, apocalyptic dream scape. Her lyrics touch upon the loneliness and despair of the characters that inhabit them. These muses are primal,fractured, disillusioned, delicate, and alone. They are the unified voice of this record, the titular ‘Strangers’.· Once again partnered with producer Randall Dunn, Nadler has created an album equal in sonic quality to the apocalyptic lyrical tone that covers its 44minutes.
In places her voice and guitar play off subsonic synths, while elsewhere, a pulsing drumbeat launches the songs off into an intense,confrontational place.· Vinyl format includes digital download code.· Critical acclaim for ‘July’, Marissa Nadler’s previous album:· “These are big, wide, beautiful songs that wind like the night time roads they should be listened to on.” - Sunday Times (Album Of The Week)· “Hushed and haunting, darkly sensual song craft.” - Uncut (8/10)· “A melancholic late-night album, but one that really sounds beautiful.” -Mojo (4 stars)· “A career high.” - NME (8/10)· “Atmospheric and engulfing.” - Pitchfork (8.1/10)· “Rich and immersive… Music that edges tantalisingly close to greatness.” -The Wire· “These are darkly romantic songs… Utterly enchanting.” - Record Collector(4 stars)
