Songs III marks Nadler’s return to form as a very welcome new release with solid and thematically unwavering material. It comes as a sort of creepy comfort after the lo-fi recordings from her rarities release, Ivy and the Clovers.

Where past albums (Ballads of Living and Dying and The Saga of Mayflower May) have been stripped back recordings - consisting of Nadler’s voice, guitar and some subtle, well-placed effects - in Songs III we are treated to some larger arrangements, some even come with gloriously big guitar solos (such as the marvellous ‘Bird on Your Grave’). From the very first song, ‘Diamond Heart’, Nadler’s unique vocals and accentuated delivery render the distinctly folk musical approach fresh and quietly invigorating. With each listen through, it becomes increasingly hard not to succumb to the gothic environments dreamt up in Nadler’s stories and haunting musical arrangements.

The inclusion of a cover of Leonard Cohen’s ‘Famous Blue Raincoat’ seems particularly inspired as her guitar picking and sombre tone almost demands a comparison between the two - her literary dedication to the fine art of song-writing makes it completely well deserved. Mixing the poetic longings and missings of Cohen with the blood lust of Nick Cave and PJ Harvey’s more violent moments, Nadler infuses every last inspired note with her own personal touch. Her ethereal voice, cloaked in reverb, brings forth stories of death, grief, murder, and post-mortem love in one or two places. In ‘Silvia’ she even succeeds in making drowning sound like an inviting way to fall asleep, cooing, ‘The water is your friend’.

The final song on Songs III, ‘Leather Made Shoes’ could best represent Nadler’s work to date. The song compiles the themes of love and loss (these Nadler appears to know all too well) and, coloured with a string arrangement to die for, it’s a fantastic book end to the whole album We are left wanting more and immediately returning to the beginning, to start the whole journey all over again. It seems with this album, Nadler has really found her sound and given full colouration to her grim visions. Loss never sounded so pretty.

Jessica Pinney
February 12, 2007