Marissa Nadler Covers Metallica, Townes Van Zandt and More on New EP

Marissa Nadler released an EP filled with covers from Metallica, Townes Van Zandt, Bob Dylan, King Crimson and Alex Chilton. Covers 3 includes one original titled “Strange Days” and has been released as part of Bandcamp’s fundraiser which gives 100% of the day’s proceeds to the artist.

Beginning with Townes Van Zandt’s “My Proud Mountains,” Nadler gives the song a lower tune, her dark style seeping through. She introduces the theme seen throughout all of Covers 3 where she gives her signature haunting treatment to each song. “My Proud Mountains” remains dreamy while her voice floats through each lyric’s imagery.

Nadler gives an echoing twist and haunting synths to Metallica’s “Nothing Else Matters,” her voice harmonizing with itself. Milky Burgess joins Nadler on guitar with a trippy acoustic and Thor Harris plays the tubular bells, vibraphone and harmonium. While “Nothing Else Matters” is one of Metallica’s softer songs, Nadler manages to bring the melody down a notch and drag her voice to give it an eerie take.

Nadler’s take on King Crimson’s “Moonchild” delivers a dark take while her voice rings clear. Her haunting hums whisper as each strum descends in a psychedelic spin. She condesces the track into five minutes, focusing more on the beginning of the original. “Moonchild” suspends listeners in time while the eerie track welcomes the haunting sound.

Alex Chilton’s “All We Ever Got From Them Was Pain” receives Nadler’s haunting treatment while keeping to its folk roots. Like the original, Nadler layers her voice. Compared to the rest of Covers 3, “All We Ever Got From Them Was Pain” has a higher tune that, while still staying close to Nadler’s dark indie style, is slightly more upbeat.

In Bob Dylan’s “I was young when I left home,” Nadler delivers a slow take as the guitar drops lower and her voice sings in a soft ring. The guitar remains faint, highlighting Nadler’s voice while she sings the folk tune. She slightly veers away from the previous haunting tracks and instead falls somewhere in the middle of sticking to the feel of the original and Nadler’s deep and slow style.

“Strange Days,” Nadler’s only original on the EP, begins with her soft hums and the strums of a guitar. Her harmonies echo through creating a dreamy soundscape before slowly fading out towards the end, giving a drifting conclusion to Covers 3.

Nadler shows her precision in selection as she stays close to the original songs while making sure to give each her own spin which seamlessly flows into one another. Nadler recently collaborated with Lawrence Rotham and Mary Lattimore to honor Earth Day in “It’s Hard to Be Human.” She also appeared on Two Minutes to Late Night for a cover of Steely Dan’s “Reelin’ in the Years.”

In addition to releasing Covers 3, Nadler has said she is currently working on new album. Her last album, Droneflower, had been a collaboration between her and Stephen Brodksy. Read mxdwn’s interview with Marissa Nadler and Stephen Brodsky here.

Photo credit: Alexander Cabrera

Ariel King: Ariel King resides in her hometown of Oakland, CA, where she grew up within its arts-centered community. She attended Oakland School for the Arts with a focus in creative writing and received her Bachelor's in Journalism from San Diego State University. She also studied History, centering on the psychedelic movement of the 1960s, while in college. Ariel is currently the newswire editor for mxdwn music.
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