Marissa Nadler
Encyclopedia
Marissa Nadler is an American
dream-folk
singer-songwriter and fine art
ist based in Boston.
and was an art teacher in Harlem
, New York
for a short time. However, music soon became her favored artistic outlet. As a teenager, she learned to play guitar from her brother in a style similar to cotton picking, playing a steady bass pattern with the thumb and filling out syncopated rhythms with the index finger. After her brother left his guitar at home and went off to college, she taught herself to play and began writing songs. While exploring old artistic techniques such as illustration, painting, bookbinding, woodcarving and encaustic painting
, she also began to further hone her songwriting craft. She subsequently recorded an album titled "Autumn Rose", as well as another EP, both of which have never been released.
, on Eclipse Records
in 2004; her follow-up, The Saga of Mayflower May
, was released in July 2005. Both records were distributed in the US by Eclipse Records, and by the UK label Beautiful Happiness in Europe. Eclipse Records' Ed Hardy, who runs a mostly vinyl record label formerly in the desert of Bullhead City Arizona, is credited by Marissa herself as having brought her into the musical world. Marissa released her third record Songs III: Bird on the Water
on Peacefrog Records
in Europe on March 12, 2007. The album was released in the US and Canada on August 12, 2007 by Kemado Records
. Songs III: Bird on the Water was nominated for two PLUG Awards in 2008: best female artist of the year, and best Americana record of the year. Marissa won "Outstanding Singer-Songwriter of the Year" in the 2008 Boston Music Awards, with three nominations altogether.
Her fourth full-length record, Little Hells
, was released March 3, 2009, receiving high praise from many critics including 4 Star reviews from magazines such as Mojo, Rolling Stone in France and Germany, Uncut, Q. It received an 8.3 from Pitchforkmedia.com, with critic Grayson Currin writing, "Surrounded by little else but her own melancholy, Nadler sums up her career's existential despair: 'Ghosts and lovers/ They will haunt you for a while,' she sings. And while they do, Little Hells suggests through 10 of Nadler's best songs yet, the sadness will either kill you or keep you going."
In early 2010 she contributed to the black metal project Xasthur
, with the final album "Portal of Sorrow".
On June 14, 2011, an eponymous record
was released worldwide on Nadler's own label, Box of Cedar Records. This record will be followed by a four song EP entitled Rain Arrangement.
as "a voice you would follow straight into Hades
". In the Boston Globe, her voice and music is described: "She has a voice that, in mythological times, could have lured men to their deaths at sea, an intoxicating soprano drenched in gauzy reverb that hits bell-clear heights, lingers, and tapers off like rings of smoke. Hardly anyone considers Nadler a folk musician."
Music critics describe Nadler's songs as having American Gothic leanings; her stories often take place in an imagined, idealistic time with a cast of characters of her own creation and introspective themes of lonliness and grief. Her characters sometimes recur, even across multiple albums. Such examples include "Mayflower May", a self-professed alter-ego, and "Silvia", a purported reference to Sylvia Plath
. Yet, in recent years, it has emerged that the characters are less make-believe than listeners thought and are based on real people, and their real lives, which she revealed in an interview with the music website Stereogum.com Her links to American Gothic are reinforced by "Annabelle Lee," the last song on her debut album, Ballads of Living and Dying
, which puts the poem of the same title by Edgar Allan Poe
to a musical backing.
Singing in a mezzo-soprano
, the foundation of her songs are her acoustic guitar
, often accompanied by a variety of instruments and an ambient reverb-laden production. She has been known to play in open tunings on several songs. Her influences include Nina Simone
, Tom Waits
, Patti Smith
, Fleetwood Mac
, Joni Mitchell
, Kate Bush
, and Leonard Cohen
.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
dream-folk
Dream pop
Dream pop is a subgenre of alternative rock that originated in the United Kingdom in the mid-1980s, when bands like The Passions, Dif Juz, Lowlife and A.R. Kane began fusing post-punk and ethereal experiments with bittersweet pop melodies into dreamy, sensual soundscapes. The term was almost...
singer-songwriter and fine art
Fine art
Fine art or the fine arts encompass art forms developed primarily for aesthetics and/or concept rather than practical application. Art is often a synonym for fine art, as employed in the term "art gallery"....
ist based in Boston.
Early life
Marissa Nadler was exposed to art at a young age through her mother Pamela, an abstract painter, and her older brother Stuart, a guitarist and writer. Nadler studied painting at Rhode Island School of DesignRhode Island School of Design
Rhode Island School of Design is a fine arts and design college located in Providence, Rhode Island. It was founded in 1877. Located at the base of College Hill, the RISD campus is contiguous with the Brown University campus. The two institutions share social, academic, and community resources and...
and was an art teacher in Harlem
Harlem
Harlem is a neighborhood in the New York City borough of Manhattan, which since the 1920s has been a major African-American residential, cultural and business center. Originally a Dutch village, formally organized in 1658, it is named after the city of Haarlem in the Netherlands...
, New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
for a short time. However, music soon became her favored artistic outlet. As a teenager, she learned to play guitar from her brother in a style similar to cotton picking, playing a steady bass pattern with the thumb and filling out syncopated rhythms with the index finger. After her brother left his guitar at home and went off to college, she taught herself to play and began writing songs. While exploring old artistic techniques such as illustration, painting, bookbinding, woodcarving and encaustic painting
Encaustic painting
Encaustic painting, also known as hot wax painting, involves using heated beeswax to which colored pigments are added. The liquid/paste is then applied to a surface—usually prepared wood, though canvas and other materials are often used...
, she also began to further hone her songwriting craft. She subsequently recorded an album titled "Autumn Rose", as well as another EP, both of which have never been released.
Music career
Marissa Nadler released her first album, Ballads of Living and DyingBallads of Living and Dying
Ballads of Living and Dying is Marissa Nadler's first album, released in 2004 on Eclipse Records.-Track listing:All songs written by Marissa Nadler, except where noted.# "Fifty Five Falls" – 5:01# "Hay Tantos Muertos" – 2:51...
, on Eclipse Records
Eclipse Records
Eclipse Records is an American indie rock record label based in Butler, New Jersey. The label is known for bringing the Cleveland band Mushroomhead to national attention. The current president of the label is Chris Poland.-History:...
in 2004; her follow-up, The Saga of Mayflower May
The Saga of Mayflower May
The Saga of Mayflower May is Marissa Nadler's second full-length album, released in 2005 on US label Eclipse Records, and distributed later that year in Europe by British label Beautiful Happiness.-Track listing:# "Under an Old Umbrella" – 4:13...
, was released in July 2005. Both records were distributed in the US by Eclipse Records, and by the UK label Beautiful Happiness in Europe. Eclipse Records' Ed Hardy, who runs a mostly vinyl record label formerly in the desert of Bullhead City Arizona, is credited by Marissa herself as having brought her into the musical world. Marissa released her third record Songs III: Bird on the Water
Songs III: Bird on the Water
Songs III: Bird on the Water is Marissa Nadler's third full-length album, released in March 2007 on Peacefrog Records. It was distributed in the US and Canada in August 2007 by New York City-based Kemado Records...
on Peacefrog Records
Peacefrog Records
Peacefrog Records are an independent record label based in London, United Kingdom. The label produces releases in many different styles of electronic music as well as branching out into folk and indie artists such as José González and Nouvelle Vague. Started by Pete Hutchison and Paul Ballard in...
in Europe on March 12, 2007. The album was released in the US and Canada on August 12, 2007 by Kemado Records
Kemado Records
Kemado Records is an American record label based in New York City founded in 2002. In 2006 the label released the Invaders compilation, which featured many of the label's bands alongside other hard rock and heavy metal bands such as Witchcraft, High on Fire and Witch.In 2008, Kemado introduced its...
. Songs III: Bird on the Water was nominated for two PLUG Awards in 2008: best female artist of the year, and best Americana record of the year. Marissa won "Outstanding Singer-Songwriter of the Year" in the 2008 Boston Music Awards, with three nominations altogether.
Her fourth full-length record, Little Hells
Little Hells
Little Hells is Marissa Nadler's fourth full-length album, released in March 2009 on Kemado Records.-Track listing:# "Heart Paper Lover" - 4:08# "Rosary" - 3:56# "Mary Come Alive" - 4:44# "Little Hells" - 2:26# "Ghosts & Lovers" - 4:16...
, was released March 3, 2009, receiving high praise from many critics including 4 Star reviews from magazines such as Mojo, Rolling Stone in France and Germany, Uncut, Q. It received an 8.3 from Pitchforkmedia.com, with critic Grayson Currin writing, "Surrounded by little else but her own melancholy, Nadler sums up her career's existential despair: 'Ghosts and lovers/ They will haunt you for a while,' she sings. And while they do, Little Hells suggests through 10 of Nadler's best songs yet, the sadness will either kill you or keep you going."
In early 2010 she contributed to the black metal project Xasthur
Xasthur
Xasthur was a Californian one-man black metal band formed in 1995 by Scott Conner, who goes by the pseudonym "Malefic". Although similar in terms of low-fi production and the wearing of corpse paint, musically and lyrically Xasthur's focus is usually not on paganism, Satanism or anti-Christian...
, with the final album "Portal of Sorrow".
On June 14, 2011, an eponymous record
Marissa Nadler (album)
Marissa Nadler is Marissa Nadler's eponymous fifth full-length album. It is scheduled to be released on June 14, 2011. The song "Baby, I Will Leave You In The Morning" was released as a free download on March 8th, with a music video for the song subsequently released.-Track listing:# "In Your Lair,...
was released worldwide on Nadler's own label, Box of Cedar Records. This record will be followed by a four song EP entitled Rain Arrangement.
Musical style
Her voice was described by the popular online music website Pitchfork MediaPitchfork Media
Pitchfork Media, usually known simply as Pitchfork or P4k, is a Chicago-based daily Internet publication established in 1995 that is devoted to music criticism and commentary, music news, and artist interviews. Its focus is on underground and independent music, especially indie rock...
as "a voice you would follow straight into Hades
Hades
Hades , Hadēs, originally , Haidēs or , Aidēs , meaning "the unseen") was the ancient Greek god of the underworld. The genitive , Haidou, was an elision to denote locality: "[the house/dominion] of Hades". Eventually, the nominative came to designate the abode of the dead.In Greek mythology, Hades...
". In the Boston Globe, her voice and music is described: "She has a voice that, in mythological times, could have lured men to their deaths at sea, an intoxicating soprano drenched in gauzy reverb that hits bell-clear heights, lingers, and tapers off like rings of smoke. Hardly anyone considers Nadler a folk musician."
Music critics describe Nadler's songs as having American Gothic leanings; her stories often take place in an imagined, idealistic time with a cast of characters of her own creation and introspective themes of lonliness and grief. Her characters sometimes recur, even across multiple albums. Such examples include "Mayflower May", a self-professed alter-ego, and "Silvia", a purported reference to Sylvia Plath
Sylvia Plath
Sylvia Plath was an American poet, novelist and short story writer. Born in Massachusetts, she studied at Smith College and Newnham College, Cambridge before receiving acclaim as a professional poet and writer...
. Yet, in recent years, it has emerged that the characters are less make-believe than listeners thought and are based on real people, and their real lives, which she revealed in an interview with the music website Stereogum.com Her links to American Gothic are reinforced by "Annabelle Lee," the last song on her debut album, Ballads of Living and Dying
Ballads of Living and Dying
Ballads of Living and Dying is Marissa Nadler's first album, released in 2004 on Eclipse Records.-Track listing:All songs written by Marissa Nadler, except where noted.# "Fifty Five Falls" – 5:01# "Hay Tantos Muertos" – 2:51...
, which puts the poem of the same title by Edgar Allan Poe
Edgar Allan Poe
Edgar Allan Poe was an American author, poet, editor and literary critic, considered part of the American Romantic Movement. Best known for his tales of mystery and the macabre, Poe was one of the earliest American practitioners of the short story and is considered the inventor of the detective...
to a musical backing.
Singing in a mezzo-soprano
Mezzo-soprano
A mezzo-soprano is a type of classical female singing voice whose range lies between the soprano and the contralto singing voices, usually extending from the A below middle C to the A two octaves above...
, the foundation of her songs are her acoustic guitar
Acoustic guitar
An acoustic guitar is a guitar that uses only an acoustic sound board. The air in this cavity resonates with the vibrational modes of the string and at low frequencies, which depend on the size of the box, the chamber acts like a Helmholtz resonator, increasing or decreasing the volume of the sound...
, often accompanied by a variety of instruments and an ambient reverb-laden production. She has been known to play in open tunings on several songs. Her influences include Nina Simone
Nina Simone
Eunice Kathleen Waymon , better known by her stage name Nina Simone , was an American singer, songwriter, pianist, arranger, and civil rights activist widely associated with jazz music...
, Tom Waits
Tom Waits
Thomas Alan "Tom" Waits is an American singer-songwriter, composer, and actor. Waits has a distinctive voice, described by critic Daniel Durchholz as sounding "like it was soaked in a vat of bourbon, left hanging in the smokehouse for a few months, and then taken outside and run over with a car."...
, Patti Smith
Patti Smith
Patricia Lee "Patti" Smith is an American singer-songwriter, poet and visual artist, who became a highly influential component of the New York City punk rock movement with her 1975 debut album Horses....
, Fleetwood Mac
Fleetwood Mac
Fleetwood Mac are a British–American rock band formed in 1967 in London.The only original member present in the band is its eponymous drummer, Mick Fleetwood...
, Joni Mitchell
Joni Mitchell
Joni Mitchell, CC is a Canadian musician, singer songwriter, and painter. Mitchell began singing in small nightclubs in her native Saskatchewan and Western Canada and then busking in the streets and dives of Toronto...
, Kate Bush
Kate Bush
Kate Bush is an English singer-songwriter, musician and record producer. Her eclectic musical style and idiosyncratic vocal style have made her one of the United Kingdom's most successful solo female performers of the past 30 years.In 1978, at the age of 19, Bush topped the UK Singles Chart...
, and Leonard Cohen
Leonard Cohen
Leonard Norman Cohen, is a Canadian singer-songwriter, musician, poet and novelist. Cohen published his first book of poetry in Montreal in 1956 and his first novel in 1963. His work often explores religion, isolation, sexuality and interpersonal relationships...
.
Albums
- Ballads of Living and DyingBallads of Living and DyingBallads of Living and Dying is Marissa Nadler's first album, released in 2004 on Eclipse Records.-Track listing:All songs written by Marissa Nadler, except where noted.# "Fifty Five Falls" – 5:01# "Hay Tantos Muertos" – 2:51...
(2004) - The Saga of Mayflower MayThe Saga of Mayflower MayThe Saga of Mayflower May is Marissa Nadler's second full-length album, released in 2005 on US label Eclipse Records, and distributed later that year in Europe by British label Beautiful Happiness.-Track listing:# "Under an Old Umbrella" – 4:13...
(July 2005) - Songs III: Bird on the WaterSongs III: Bird on the WaterSongs III: Bird on the Water is Marissa Nadler's third full-length album, released in March 2007 on Peacefrog Records. It was distributed in the US and Canada in August 2007 by New York City-based Kemado Records...
(March 2007) - Little HellsLittle HellsLittle Hells is Marissa Nadler's fourth full-length album, released in March 2009 on Kemado Records.-Track listing:# "Heart Paper Lover" - 4:08# "Rosary" - 3:56# "Mary Come Alive" - 4:44# "Little Hells" - 2:26# "Ghosts & Lovers" - 4:16...
(March 2009) - Marissa NadlerMarissa Nadler (album)Marissa Nadler is Marissa Nadler's eponymous fifth full-length album. It is scheduled to be released on June 14, 2011. The song "Baby, I Will Leave You In The Morning" was released as a free download on March 8th, with a music video for the song subsequently released.-Track listing:# "In Your Lair,...
(June 14, 2011)
Singles, EPs and demos
- Four-Track Recordings, Outtakes (2005)
- "Diamond Heart"/"Leather Made Shoes" single (May 2006)
- "Diamond Heart"/"Dying Breed" single (February 2007)
- "Bird on Your Grave" single (music video only) (October 2007)
- Ivy and the Clovers - Promotional CD sold on tour (2007)
- Rain Arrangement- Upcoming LP to be released in February 2012