Marissa Nadler & Stephen Brodsky release full-length ‘Droneflower’

It’s interesting Droneflower comes as a spring album. The music it contains sounds more like the soundtrack to driving down a lonesome highway during the coldest, gloomiest period of winter. The songs, firmly grounded in the world of folk, swirl like a snowfall with lush layers of vocal harmony, synthesizer, reverb-washed piano, and—as the name of record implies—droning guitars. With this abundance of instrumentation in the mix, Nadler & Brodsky carefully walk the line between minimal “less is more” moments and over the top layers of dreamy immersion. Though, what comes with so much emphasis on atmosphere, is a challenge to differentiate and pick out highlight cuts.

Surprisingly, if there is one song off this album that stands out in terms of quality it is the cover of Guns ‘N Roses’ “Estranged.” The monstrous GNR ballad is elevated to transcendent heights as the duo’s version slowly grows into a droning masterpiece. Starting off sparse with just acoustic guitar and vocals, then finishes out full of feedback and fuzzy synths. Axl Rose’s lyrics are given the weight of a great poet thanks to Nadler’s angelic reinterpretation of the hook, “Nobody ever told you baby/how it was gonna be/What’ll happen to you baby?/Guess we’ll have to wait and see.” Another track to note is “For the Sun”, which features a chugging guitar line that seems to have Brodsky’s fingers all over it.

Across the board, it is Nadler’s icy croon that steals the show. Her vocals range from hushed, whispered bits to epic, opera-esque moments. Thus, the record comes across as a display of mastered dynamics and mood, not songwriting chops. Brodsky’s ominous experimental flourishes effortlessly contribute to the dark mood. Ultimately, Droneflower is a curious little exploration of sounds that is worth giving a try. It’s an album that won’t be on many end-of-the-year lists, but that’s certainly not what Nadler & Brodsky set out to do. The record is simply a sincere collaboration that presents enough intriguing ideas to placate.