new: Marissa Nadler Covers & Demos

"I Heard You Cry"

A holiday gift from Marissa Nadler came in the form of a few bundled and attached mp3's, each from a recent recording session with Daniel Nicholas Daskivich at his studio in Somerville, MA. The songs, while still rough, are only demos, however, a boding sense of finality graces the tunes, which sit gracefully alongside classics from Nadler's ever growing, and always wondrous, oeuvre. A noted standout is Marissa's cover of Townes Van Zandt's "Poncho & Lefty," which I believe she has performed live a few times. Hopefully all this demoing means the fifth Marissa Nadler studio album isn't too far off.

Marissa Nadler- Poncho & Lefty (Townes Van Zandt cover)
Marissa Nadler- Amber (demo)

video: Marissa Nadler "Dying Breed"

"Summer of Love is Over"

By now its apparent how much I love the songs of Marissa Nadler. Little Hells, her latest record on Kemado, seems criminally overlooked this year, despite great reviews, extensive touring and a masterful step forward in both her songwriting and production. Sort of makes me wonder, What if P4K had bundled that 8.1 with a BNM? Either way, like most of Nadler's output, its a daunting affair, one that resonates strongly with grey skies and dead leaves. There aren't too many records this year that I'd say are must owns, but this is one of them. Grab her entire back catalog, if you can, it's well worth it.

Anyway, a few weekends ago, on a cold dreary night in Brooklyn, Ray Concepcion headed down to the haunting Union Hall to capture Nadler in all her haunting beauty. The audio from this intimate set is extraordinary, as Concepcion bottles the essence of the Union Hall basement, filled with flora and fauna, taxidermy, and the piercing eyes of Grandmothers long since gone, through soft focus and a peephole perspective, sort of the visual equivalent of the way Willa Cather paints her novella A Lost Lady.

new: Marissa Nadler video

"Been Drinking Too Much"

Marissa Nadler recently posted this haunting video of new song "Dead Wives Club" (which may be titled "Marie") on her blog. Those in attendance at her recent NYC/BK shows at the Lutheran Church of the Messiah and Joe's Pub may recognize the tune as the one in which Marissa plays banjo. According to lore, Ms. Nadler hadn't touched a banjo in public in over ten years, which is slightly surprising considering how effortless she makes playing it look. In other Nadler news, P4k finally got around to reviewing Little Hells and, appropriately, gave it an 8.3 Congrats Marissa, truly deserved.

Marissa Nadler Live at Joe's Pub "Dead Wives Club (Marie)"

we saw: Marissa Nadler

"I Met You In The Belly of a Whale"
(photo by aprilnine)
The Lutheran Church of the Messiah across from McGolrick Park in Greenpoint is a ghostly, candle lit basement performance state filled with cobwebs and perfect for the gothic folk of Marissa Nadler. Nadler, who is touring in support of her soon-to-be-released Little Hells, a record which finds the Boston based songwriter exploring the sonic textures of her sullen, pastoral folk, played solo on Friday night, ditching her live band for a more intimate performance with just her, her guitar, and the occasional banjo. Friday night's set was a welcome run through of Songs III stands outs like "Sylvia", "Dying Breed" and "Salutations in the Dark", as well as Little Hells highlights "Heart Paper Lover", "Ghosts & Lovers" and "Cobwebs." The especially intimate affair (most of the audience was seated Indian style on the floor) also featured an intensely poignant rendition of Bruce Springsteen's "I'm On Fire". Nadler, who switched between a six string Taylor and a twelve string Martin, was in a jovial mood, laughing about how critics had been labeling "Mistress on a Sunny Day", the Little Hells closer, an "uplifting" tune, something that doesn't really exist in Nadler's canon. The warm, rainy night in Greenpoint ended with Marissa doing a version of "Dead Wives Club" on banjo, an appropriate end to a somber evening with the gothic folk princess.

Marissa Nadler- River of Dirt

Bobkast #23: I Dream A Highway

"Home I'll Never Be"
(photo by Dorothea Lange)

Wealth I seek not, hope nor love, Nor a friend to know me; All I seek, the heaven above, and the road below me Robert Louis Stevenson

Lonely, broke and desperate, yet brimming with optimism, the song of the great American highway is deeply ingrained in the psyche of anyone born from sea to shinning sea. Some say it's Manifest Destiny, others merely an idyllic hobo's dream. Whatever it is, it's easily felt on cold, dark nights on lonesome highways, heading off the grid, or to some fabled watering hole, or, simply, home, wherever, or whatever, that may be. As Gillian Welch once said, "I dream a highway."

Bobkast #23: I Dream A Highway
Utah Phillips- Starlight on the Rails
Bob Dylan- Thunder on the Mountain
Marissa Nadler- River of Dirt
Karen Dalton- Down on the Street (Don't You Follow Me)
Townes Van Zandt- Waiting Around to Die
Magnolia Electric Co.- Hard to Leave the City
Dr. John- Travelin' Mood
Peter and the Wolf- Safe Travels
Woody Guthrie- Hard Travelin'
Antony and Bryce Dessner- I Was Young When I Left Home
Solomon Burke- Memphis
Gram Parsons- Return of the Grievous Angel (w/ Emmylou Harris)
Bruce Springsteen- Reason to Believe
Bonnie 'Prince' Billy- Goodbye Dear Old Step Stone
Tom Waits- Home I'll Never Be


Download Bobkast #23: I Dream A Highway (PC: right click + save as; Mac: apple (command)+click)

covers: Marissa Nadler

"Dragon Clouds So High Above"

Marissa Nadler just posted a cover of one of my all-time favorite Zimmerman tracks on her blog. Just another lo-fi home recording to keep you from getting restless while waiting for Little Hells to arrive. She's also serving up some new demo's and a Roy Orbison cover as well. I recommend subscribing (via RSS) to her blog, as she's been very good about updating it with fresh goods.

Marissa Nadler- Your Gonna Make Me Lonesome When You Go (Bob Dylan cover)

new: Marissa Nadler "River of Dirt"

"Take Me Back"

Stereogum just premiered a brand new track from Marissa Nadler's highly anticipated Little Hells. I must say, it is quite stunning. Guess she let someone hear the record after all. I hate to get overly excited but this very well may be her best work to date. Needless to say, my anticipation for Little Hells just shot through the roof.

Marissa Nadler- River of Dirt (via Stereogum)

new: Marissa Nadler

"I Was Dreaming Of The Past"

In keeping with our "highlighting albums we're really excited about" posts for the week, Marissa Nadler upped a few goodies just after the New Year, a sort of "non-denominational holiday gift" of covers, remixes and demos. Like she said before, her new record, Little Hells (3/7/09 Kemado Records) "will not be heard till it is released, at all", but that's just fine considering she's been posting a steady stream of videos and unreleased material on her blog. It's also worth mentioning that Mexican Summer, the vinyl only subscription record label, named after a Nadler song, recently reissued her debut Ballads of Living and Dying. Oh yeah, and if that isn't enough, Marissa will be gracing our lovely neighborhood with her presence on February 27th, when she, along with MV & EE, will play the Lutheran Church of the Messiah located right down the street from Bobka HQ. So yeah, we're pretty excited about that one. 'Til then, stay warm with some of these unreleased gems.

If you happen to be in Paris, you can catch Marissa tonight at Au Presbytère de Saint Eustache.

Marissa Nadler- So Long Theresa
Marissa Nadler- Jealous Guy (John Lennon cover)

video: Marissa Nadler "Thinking of You"

"All Through The Morning"

Marissa Nadler just posted this beautiful and heart-wrenching video for Songs III: Bird on the Water standout "Thinking of You." The song, written from the point of view of an abandoned and emotionally shattered ex-lover, is one of the most honest, and utterly affecting post-break up songs I've ever heard. The song, and this accompanying video by Jennifer Cox, represent exactly what it feels like when you can't stop thinking about an ex and the times you spent together. From Marissa's blog:

"I couldn't help posting this lovely and beautiful video that Jennifer Cox was nice enough to make for me. It is for the song "Thinking of You" of off my recent record Songs III: Bird on the Water. I held off on posting it for a while because I think that it was so emotional and perhaps brought me back to the darkness of the time when I wrote it. Thank you Jennifer, thank you the actors, and thank you.

Not the best way to kick off a weekend, but, if you can get through this and not feel absolutely devastated by the end, consider yourself to be in a very good place mentally. Either that, or you have no soul.

By the way, Marissa will be playing the Kemado showcase tonight at Music Hall of Williamsburg with Dungen, the Muslims, TK Webb and Cheeseburger. Should be a good one.

Marissa Nadler "Thinking of You"

soon: Marissa Nadler

"When I Was Young & Happy"

News is scant but Marissa Nadler has said her forthcoming record is on its way. Way back in July, in a MySpace post titled "record finished", Marissa wrote "i can't believe it! now its time to recover from pouring out the most intense and personal songs i have ever written. i feel naked." This got me really excited. Her homepage reads "New Record out October 2008", however, a different MySpace post provides a little more insight:

"Marissa Nadler's new full length is all done and will be out in early 2009 on Kemado Records, this time teaming up with New York based Chris Coady (who has worked with Blonde Redhead, Grizzly Bear, Gang Gang Dance, T.V. on the Radio). The record features several guest musicians, such as Myles Baer (Black Hole Infinity, work on Ballads of Living and Dying), Simone Pace (Blonde Redhead), and Farmer Dave Scher (Beachwood Sparks, All Night Radio, Interpol, Elvis Costello, etc etc.). With the same intimacy as earlier records, this record has a lot of exciting new developments."

Rather than let her record leak in pieces, Marissa has decided to take the road less traveled.

5/1/08
so, I have fought off the urge to put any of my new material online so I can save it for the record.The ones I put up today are NOT new songs and NOT on the record- but I wanted to put something up anyway. There are just some demos I never did anything with.

The new record will not be heard till it is released, at all. Its hard because there is the desire to get feedback from other people and it is so easy and quick with the Internet these days. But, I am trying to make it a surprise. So, my apologies for keeping the same stuff up for a while and putting up not totally new songs.

Luckily, Marissa has a few scheduled dates for you to get your fix, that is, of course, if you live in Boston or New York. Oh, and for all you vinyl heads, Ballads of Living and Dying will be re-released "in a remastered form, with a track that was accidentally left off the album, in the coming months. The reissue will be out on Kemado records new vinyl imprint Mexican summer. (named after a Marissa song from Songs III: Bird on the Water)." So until CMJ, Brainwaves and 2009, here's your fix of the beautiful, enchanting Ms. Nadler.

Marissa Nadler- Honey Bear
Marissa Nadler- Cortez The Killer

Marissa Nadler "Mexican Summer"

under the covers: Marissa Nadler

"I Met You In The Belly of a Whale"

In the 19th century, an entire generation of kids in rural farm towns across America were raised on opium infused elixirs; cough syrups sold to their mothers by traveling salesmen and mail order catalogs. Imagine what it'd be like to walk a mile in those kids shoes; mind aimlessly wandering, constant out of focus/blurry vision, and that God foresaken opium itch. Must've been tough.

Marissa Nadler's Espers infused trance-folk is the musical equivalent to the ethereal opiate state. She loves covers and, coincidently, we love her covers. When she does her thing with Leonard Cohen and Neil Young (twice) numbers, you almost forget that you're listening to someone else's song (from a long time ago). Down below you'll find a video of Marissa covering one of my all time favorite Radiohead songs, "No Surprises." In other Nadler news, Peacefrog just released Marissa's majestic Song III: Bird On The Water on limited edition vinyl (500 to be exact). Don't sleep on that shit. Also be sure to keep an eye out for a new record from Marissa in 2008.

Marissa Nadler- Cortez the Killer (Neil Young)
Marissa Nadler- Clairaudients (Bright Eyes)
Marissa Nadler- Expecting to Fly (Neil Young)
Marissa Nadler- For the Good Times (Kris Kristoferson)
Marissa Nadler- Famous Blue Raincoat (Leonard Cohen)

Marissa Nadler covering Radiohead's "No Surprises"

viddyo: Marissa Nadler

"I Dreamed Your Face A Million Times"

Absolutely beautiful. The perfect companion piece to one of Songs III: Bird on the Water most stunning compositions. A must have for fans of melancholic, pastoral folk. Highly Rec'd. Highly.