Boston-based musician and artist, Marissa Nadler, has just released her seventh studio album, "Strangers," this past Friday. While different from her arguably most popular, 2014 album "July," Nadler does not disappoint. During a recent Ask Me Anything post on Reddit, Nadler discussed her style transition throughout her albums and decade-long career: "I think on my first record, I really wasn't writing from the most personal place... the songs have grown more and more personal and cutting since then." While "July" was a breakup album and filled with the personal aspect she mentioned, "Strangers" returned to her roots lyrically.
Several songs, "Katie I Know," "Janie in Love" and "Shadow Show Diane" are heavy in character development. These are also the more notable tracks for the album, due to the 'supporting actor' role Nadler takes on rather than the usual personal narrative provided. "Katie I Know," with its more emphasized percussion than her usual sound, focuses on a fair-weather friend named Katie; Nadler sings lines such as "so many fair-weather friends, problem is, when the weather ends" and "Katie I know when to walk away" to express the battle between enjoying a friend's company and surrounding herself with truly supportive people. Nadler is becoming more comfortable in her style and taking risks outside of what is expected of her, which she executes beautifully in "Janie in Love." While the lyrics are tongue-in-cheek about a friend of Nadler's, the chorus brings out a heavier guitar riff than the mellow and ambient acoustic for which she is known. The heavier sound complements her lyrics referring to her friend: "You're a natural disaster/ and I am/ watching you blow up everything." Nadler, although providing narratives to match the album name, does not leave her wonderfully personal lyrics out of "Strangers."
In the album's third track, "Skyscrapers," Nadler brings back the feel of "July" with a strong acoustic base and first person point of view in her haunting lyrics. While introducing more percussion in "Hungry Is the Ghost," Nadler exhibits her excellence in songwriting with the start of her first verse; "Over time I've come to see/ that I'm no better off/ Hungry is the ghost inside/ and nothing seems to stop." And finally, one of the singles off the album, "All the Colors of the Dark" is accompanied with an amazing stop-motion video of Nadler and various other objects being transformed; from faces in the sand to a mannequin being designed and destroyed. With a nod to the horror movie in the title, Nadler presents a haunting scene with her lyrics and ethereal voice.
Overall, Nadler does not disappoint in her usual haunting ways, while also taking the risks that a seasoned musician such as herself should, especially while finally getting the recognition she deserves. Newbury Comics has released an exclusive LP of "Strangers," which comes with a booklet autographed by Nadler and can be found here.
