Singer/Songwriter/Doom/Murder balladeer Marissa Nadler has returned in 2021 with a new album titled The Path of the Clouds. This marks Marissa’s 10th release, and I feel like it has been a long time coming. Marissa released a collaborative album under the moniker Droneflower, a collaborative effort with Stephen Brodsky, but her last solo release was her stellar 2018 album For My Crimes.
I pretty much say this with every album review, but when an artist I love announces a new release, I am both filled with excitement and nervousness. When I latch onto a band/artist and become obsessed with their artistic output, I tend to set my standards extremely high for them. Sometimes these standards are met, sometimes they are not reached, and sometimes they are exceeded. Marissa Nadler exceeded my expectations with The Path of the Clouds in more ways than one.
As usual, the production quality is top-notch. Much like the songs on this album, the production possesses a dark, warm, and murky quality. However, one thing that sticks out the most about The Path of the Clouds is the lack of sparseness that makes up most of her previous releases. This time around, Marissa’s sounds sound beefed up a bit with the addition of drums, bass guitar, and other instrumentation.
The album starts with “Bessie, Did You Make It?” which, to me, is a signature sound that Marissa has forged for herself. As with much of her material, it’s haunting, lush, and moody. The title track seems to pop a bit with somewhat of a Pink Floyd influence which I absolutely love. Think “Comfortably Numb” with some tremolo-infused western guitar. “Couldn’t Have Done the Killing” and “Well Sometimes You Just Can’t Say” are two of the darkest songs I’ve heard from Marissa. The reverb laden drums and subtle, twangy guitar create an uncomfortably beautiful spaghetti western vibe for these songs, similar to Neko Case but more delicate and fragile. As an artist myself, I don’t always love being compared to other artists, but from a writer’s standpoint, I do this so that someone who may have never heard a particular artist might be enticed by having an idea of what lies within the music.
The highlight/showstopper, in my opinion, is “If I Could Breathe Underwater.” The melancholic vibe of this song is set up by the eerie, stereo panning reverb guitar that adds a warm, floaty feeling that made me feel as if I was floating in a sensory deprivation tank. And no, that is not the edibles talking.
With The Path of the Clouds, Marissa Nadler has once again created a collection of songs that are meant to be experienced and felt as much if not more than listened to. The Path of the Clouds is beautifully unsettling. Where most folksinger/songwriters might make one think of blue skies, open fields, and rain, The Path of the Clouds makes me think more about dark, dank cellars, murky swamp waters, and thunderstorms with no place to retreat. When listening to The Path of the Clouds, don’t fight it. Surrender to the flow but be prepared to go someplace that you may not be comfortable going potentially. It’s a path to a darker side of the senses, and it’s beautiful. Trust me, I have been there and plan to re-visit many more times.
Order The Path of the Clouds on CD/Vinyl Here!
About The Author
