Phrase great at forty certainly applies to singer-songwriter Marissa Nadler as she wrote, recorded and produced her best work to date on her new album – The path of the clouds. Nadler’s 9th solo album, made when the artist turned 40, following on from her cover album Instead of dreaming and her work with Stephen Brodsky on Droneflower but shares more similarities with her last solo album in new material; For my sins. At that time, back in 2018, For my sins could be considered the culmination of a career spanning nearly 20 years. Tracks like All the disasters, said goodbye to that car, I can’t listen to Gene Clark anymore and Bluish saw Nadler’s songwriting skills reach new and extraordinary heights. Just over three years on from that album, Marissa Nadler has once again surpassed herself with a beautifully crafted and incredibly engaging album.
The beauty of Marissa Nadler’s latest release comes from its cohesive atmosphere and superb performance. Everything on The path of the clouds very well balanced and very good. There are no jarring moments, just pleasing sound waves, so seamlessly arranged that you’re immersed in the unfolding soundscape that develops throughout the recording.
From the opening bars of Nadler’s main single Bessie did you make it through the great ending song Lemon Queen, The path of the clouds keep you converting. When Bessie did you make it may have peaked your interest and captivated you, nothing can make you expect that this is just one of 11 beautiful and error-free tracks.
“The Killer Reverse Ballad” is just one of many brilliantly written narrative songs that Nadler has expertly composed. If I could breathe underwater, Marissa Nadler’s second single – performed with esteemed experimental harpist Mary Lattimore, is equally compelling. Nadler’s soft and sensual vocals coupled with the lightness of the soundtrack give this track a divine weightlessness. With echoes of Julee Cruise and Angelo Badalementi If I could breathe underwater just drifting through the ether like a veil.
Three weeks before the album’s release, Nadler dropped his third single, Unable to complete the killing, another gem from an album full of shimmering diamonds. Nadler combines her captivating guitar playing skills with her delightfully textured vocals to create a piece of music that’s melodious and beautiful. The path of the clouds not merely defined by it being a single, however, it is a fully loaded album without any buffering and so there is no need to preload it with the best bits from the start.
The path of the clouds is an album that demands your attention and as such is an album that should be heard, uninterrupted, in its entirety. The title track, a song that deals with the story of infamous hijacker DB Cooper, features a killer walking bass line and clever use of minimalist percussion touches to enhance the epic panorama. its coated. Elegyperformed with Black Mountain’s Amber Webber, beautiful as an angel, Sometimes you just can’t stay captivates you with the story of Alcatraz escapees and Storm just a transcendent victory but it could be Nadler’s last song to beat them all.
Lemon Queenthe last song out of 11 on The path of the clouds, is sublime. The layered harmonies, subtle melodies, soothing guitar strumming, and the way the vocals match the soundtrack make this song one of the defining careers of the Boston-born singer-songwriter. The path of the clouds would be a great album without it Lemon Queen, but with it, it is a necessity. Shopping!
The path of the clouds was released on October 29 through Bella Union Records.
