It is Wednesday morning. I have not written anything for about ten days, so I thought I would tell you about the CD I am listening to at this very moment. It is called For My Crimes by Marissa Nadler. I heard a song a few weeks ago on BBC 6Music and thought, “What a wonderful voice”. It was the voice of a siren, not a police siren, but one of those mythical Greek creatures. I looked her up on the internet and next thing I knew I had ordered her most recent album. When it arrived, I played it a couple of times and could not get into it at first. I thought it was a bit ‘samey’. Because of the excitement of Van Morrison’s new album, I forgot all about it until yesterday, and now it is growing on me with every listen. This is Marissa’s eighth album released in 2018. The cover is one of her own paintings for she is also an artist. The painting does not have a title but seems to depict a shipwreck or a fire. Probably a metaphor for a doomed relationship which seems to be the subject matter of the songs. The photos in the booklet show that Marissa is exceptionally beautiful in a goth sort of way. The music has a dreamy, ethereal quality.
The title track For My Crimes is very dark and seems to be set on Death Row with the protagonist asking not to be judged by their crimes. It is probably symbolic for being the guilty party in a failed relationship. The song tells me that Marissa is a very accomplished guitar player as well as having a beguiling voice. I see Angel Olsen who I have written about previously provides some lovely ghostly backing vocals. I think all the musicians on this album are female. I Can’t Listen To Gene Clark Anymore is a beautiful song, one of my favourites. It is about not being able to play favourite songs because it brings back painful memories of lost love. Marissa must be quite familiar with Gene Clark’s No Other album which I have also written about previously. Sharon Van Etten also sings on this track and I should mention the wonderful string arrangements on this album by Janel Leppin. Are You Really Gonna Move To The South? features the harp of Mary Lattimore who also has a successful solo career. Lover Release Me is a plea to end an unhappy prison of a relationship. Blue Vapor is an outstanding track with a full band sound featuring saxophone and Patti Schemel from the band Hole on drums. Interlocking has Eva Gardner on bass. Hands can interlock, but so do the links of chains. I think that is the message. All Out Of Catastrophes is another dark song in which Marissa’s lover calls her Natalie by mistake. There is a hint of psychosis when she throws her keys at his head.
Dream Dream Big In The Sky is more positive, where she wants to actually be with someone. The arrangements are exquisite. You’re Only Harmless When You Sleep is cold, like moonlight on a tombstone. “We’re only lonely when we’re in the same room” is one line. It is like the alienation of an Edward Hopper painting in a song. Flamethrower has imagery of things like a body being burned in the desert. Didn’t that happen to Gram Parsons? Said Goodbye To That Car is the final song where getting rid of an old car with 119,657 miles on the clock represents the ending a relationship. Even then, there is a suggestion of menace, where she mentions in passing that the car took a bullet in the roof in New Haven, but she does not say how or why. Only time will tell if I listen to this album very often. It is a grower though. The overall sound of the voice, guitar and strings is quite beautiful, even if the subject matter is dark. I have shared a video on this blog page of Marissa performing I Can’t Listen To Gene Clark Anymore. I like it, but you can judge for yourself.
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