The world of the lovelorn traveler has been traversed in song more times that any one singer or listener can recall. If you can’t think of anything else to sing or write about, then write or sing about being heartbroken. And unless you’re one of the lucky few to duck and dodge that inevitable quagmire, you’ll have a good idea where you stand in relation to Marissa Nadler’s newest release, both for reasons obvious and not so obvious. This new album comes on the heels of four official consecutively lauded detours into the heart and mind of lonely and ill-fated women. And while this makes for less than ideal driving music, it does provide perfect material for deconstruction and investigation. Never one to rest on her laurels, Nadler has again driven herself to the edge with these tales of woeful women, but always knowing her material’s limitations, there breaks free a few strands of light throughout her new album. And while these periods of hopeful reserve may come as a contrast to the darker material, Nadler possesses the verve to never shy away from the dichotomy of love, even when she herself has rarely plied into the happiness that can result from it. No song better encapsulates these opposing views than “Puppet Master”, a collage of repackaged, repurposed girl group ideals, condensed down to their simplest forms, and devoid of the over-production and near-mythic studio manipulation so attributed to some of the songs’ obvious influences. The sway of the song, the loving call to her gone lover, fixes Nadler succinctly in the “being left” position in the relationship. And while this motif does make frequent appearances over the course of these songs, Nadler infuses a knowing contentment and resolve that naturally compliments these women’s travails. As for the hoped for reclamation of love, Nadler sings “The Sun Always Reminds Me Of You”, a sadly sweet song to a love as yet untouched by the dark of the world--but the dark is closing in--with a shimmering pedal steel loping along behind her vocals. By letting us see and hear these few bright burning glimpses into the hearts of these women, and by proxy herself, Nadler allows us to see that whatever may bury us in darkness, may also transform us in the light.
Tracklisting:
01. In Your Lair, Bear
02. Alabaster Queen
03. The Sun Always Reminds Me of You (listen to the mp3 below)
04. Mr. John Lee Revisited
05. Baby I Will Leave You In the Morning
06. Puppet Master
07. Wind Up Doll
08. Wedding
09. Little King
10. In a Magazine
11. Daisy, Where Did You Go?
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