Marissa Nadler

Add Date: June 14 

Artist: Marissa Nadler 

Album: Marissa Nadler 

Label: Box of Cedar 

Genre: Folk 

Comments: This self-titled release from the Massachusetts folk artist Marissa Nadler isn't her debut--in fact, it's her fifth LP--but it does represent, in many ways, a fresh start. After leaving the Mexican Summer/Kemado family, Nadler started her own label, Box of Cedar, and has taken a new approach to songwriting. "It's the most honest, natural record I've ever written," Nadler said of the new album. "I'm no longer hiding. The mystery still exists in the music as an aesthetic tool, but the songs cut harder because of the vocal mix, with more varied colors than my other records."

Nadler makes ethereal, hazy folk songs, with simple, yet gorgeous arrangements accented by her beautifully dreamy vocals. Marissa Nadler doesn't veer too far away from her past work, yet it may be her strongest effort yet. If you like Vashti Bunyan, Devendra Banhart, Espers or Joanna Newsom, give it a spin. Start with tracks 3, 10, 6 and 1.