Marissa Nadler Songs III: Bird On The Water by: Dean Van Nguyen Mon:13-Aug-07 Label: Peacefrog Year: 2007 WB rating 83 out of 100

On this her third album, Marissa Nadler takes a giant step out of the pack of folk singer/songwriters to establish herself as one of the most prominent of the genre. Her haunting vocals, sung elegantly over a nimble 12 string finger picked guitar – the combination which worked so brilliantly on her first two full length efforts Ballads Of The Living And Dying and The Saga Of Mayflower May – is still intact, but Nadler has expanded her sound by recruiting psych-folk band Espers to accompany her on her third album, Songs III: Bird On The Water.

When singer-songwriters make the plunge into the realm of band composition there is a danger their individuality and intricacy can suffer – a line treaded by Elliott Smith’s XO – such an extrapolation would have been fatal for Nadler, as her greatest assets, her haunting voice and her talent of creepy lyricism rely on subtlety and space, something that is notoriously destroyed by adding guitars and drums. Thankfully though Espers member and producer Greg Weeks’ production focuses on an elegant touch and gentle effects to keep coy Nadler’s charms, framing her delicacies. Weeks’ psychedelic electric guitar (or “acid lead” as he is credited as contributing to the album) on ‘Rachel’ or the dreamy cello on ‘Feathers’ are both testaments to the songwriting talent of Nadler and the minimalist sensibilities of Espers, confirming their wise union. Even the album’s fullest arrangement, ‘Bird on your Grave’, which rides a wave of hi-hat and Week’s guitar, sparingly adds a gentle shine to Nadler, accentuating, not burying her.

The most obvious comparison for the artist continues to be Joanna Newsom, but while Newsom’s poetic lyrics drum up images of natural surroundings and sometimes media bashing satire, Nadler is still obsessed with the dark, concerning herself with traditional tales of crushing heartbreak, doomed relationships and death. Stunning opening ‘Diamond Heart’ is a prime example: “So do you know I’m a dancer now/with red painted lips, and a jezebel crown/But oh my lonely diamond heart it misses you so well” is typical Nadler. Just as impressive is her take on Leonard Cohen’s ‘Famous Blue Raincoat’, the bleak lyrics seemingly tailor-made for Nadler’s style.

So on album number three Nadler has crafter an exceptional album of doom-filled love songs, crafted expertly by Weeks who has added substance to style. The warm chemistry dominating Songs III: Bird On The Water suggests that the union may not be a once off.