July
by Marissa Nadler
Metascore
83

Universal acclaim - based on 25 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 24 out of 25
  2. Mixed: 1 out of 25
  3. Negative: 0 out of 25
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  1. Magnet
    Feb 21, 2014
    90
    That the feel throughout is cruel New England winter suggests July is one hell of a break-up record. [No. 106, p.57]
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  2. The Line of Best Fit
    Jan 31, 2014
    85
    Following Marissa Nadler from one album to the next is like scraping away at the forearm with a scratch awl, each outing going progressively deeper, and we’re finally at blood and bone.
  3. Pretty Much Amazing
    Feb 14, 2014
    83
    Marissa Nadler’s limnetic new album, July, is both eerie and soothing, a lullaby written to induce nightmares.
  5. Pitchfork
    Feb 7, 2014
    81
    The forward movement of July can be entrancing and propulsive.
  6. Record Collector
    Mar 31, 2014
    80
    Melodically bewitching throughout, Nadler’s vocals are as nuanced and strong as Dunn’s production.
  7. cokemachineglow
    Mar 18, 2014
    80
    This is a break-up album, a cohesive work embodying a singular mood, and Nadler, like any great artist, sets the scene with such careful, immersive depth that it can be difficult to the seams in her work until you explore every inch.
  8. Fact Magazine (UK)
    Mar 10, 2014
    80
    Yes, fine songs. But in part, though, a little of the success of July should be attributed to producer Randall Dunn.
  9. Blurt Magazine
    Feb 21, 2014
    80
    Her writing, which here often expresses personal sorrow and fear about separated or lost love (“1923,” “Nothing in My Heart”), is alive to the senses and nature but doesn’t get lost in abstractions about feelings.
  10. PopMatters
    Feb 20, 2014
    80
    It’s very rare that an artist present a statement so definitive as July, but given who it’s coming from, this album’s transcendence is far from surprising.
  11. Dusted Magazine
    Feb 19, 2014
    80
    On this album, she both reminds the listener of her strengths as a songwriter and subtly redefines the ground on which her music rests.
  12. American Songwriter
    Feb 18, 2014
    80
    Those who need a soundtrack for a rainy night alone can take comfort in the pure reflective intimacy of this alluring and frequently enchanting album.
  13. Mojo
    Feb 11, 2014
    80
    A melancholic late-night album, then, but one that really sounds beautiful. [Mar 2014, p.91]
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  14. New Musical Express (NME)
    Feb 10, 2014
    80
    July is a career high.
  15. No Ripcord
    Feb 7, 2014
    80
    She's near the peak of their powers, if not actually at the summit.
  16. Drowned In Sound
    Feb 5, 2014
    80
    July is a grown up album--but it’s not a cleaned up one: Marissa Nadler may flirt with the sun now, but still articulates the dark like no one else.
  17. The 405
    Feb 5, 2014
    80
    July is infectious. It translates well to many ears.
  18. musicOMH.com
    Feb 5, 2014
    80
    It’s not a pretty world to live in all the time, but for a while the twilight tones are the perfect place to rest a broken or bruised heart, or just take some comfort from Marissa Nadler’s exquisite craft.
  19. Uncut
    Feb 3, 2014
    80
    Welcome signs of movement after a lengthy stasis. [Mar 2014, p.80]
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  20. AllMusic
    Feb 3, 2014
    80
    Because of the material's quality and the inspired collaboration between songwriter, performers, and producer, July unfolds as a near-perfect song cycle.
  21. The Wire
    Jan 31, 2014
    80
    It not so much that her talent has blossomed, more that it has thawed a little, releasing music that edges tantalizingly close to greatness. [Feb 2014, p.50]
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  22. CMJ
    Jan 31, 2014
    80
    July’s strongest points come when Nadler has the most room to stretch her vocal muscles.
  23. Exclaim
    Jan 31, 2014
    80
    Ethereal strings, guitar and softly humming bass arise in delicate arrangements around them.
  24. Consequence
    Feb 7, 2014
    75
    July might be Nadler’s most cohesive and focused record yet.
  25. Under The Radar
    Feb 12, 2014
    70
    Most of July sticks to the aforementioned formula without falling into sounding formulaic--mainly due to Nadler's open performing style. [Feb/Mar 2014, p.74]
  26. Tiny Mix Tapes
    Feb 4, 2014
    50
    In the end, it’s the vague, shapeless, and undefined nature of the fancies her protagonists chase that partly undermines the album’s substance, since without any clear delimitation of their supposedly particular aspirations it’s a little hard to sympathize with her characters and see in them anything more than cowardly, flighty children who ought to grow up.

Awards & Rankings

43
#43 Best Album of 2014

User Reviews

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User Score
8.6

Universal acclaim- based on 27 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 25 out of 27
  2. Mixed: 2 out of 27
  3. Negative: 0 out of 27
  1. indiegalaxy10
    Feb 4, 2014
    8
    Marissa continues to give us that ghostly ballads with atmospheric echoes, but now her lyricism is going into a darkness place , where i feelMarissa continues to give us that ghostly ballads with atmospheric echoes, but now her lyricism is going into a darkness place , where i feel so comfortable, once again after The Sister , this woman crafted a special and beautiful album.… Full Review »
  2. jyo_tirmaya
    Mar 15, 2014
    10
    My first review of this album a week ago was a "8." Since then, I had a chat with one of the guys who works at a record store here in Chicago,My first review of this album a week ago was a "8." Since then, I had a chat with one of the guys who works at a record store here in Chicago, and he recommended Marissa's albums. Since then, I went to her back catalogue on iTunes and fell in love with most of the songs on "Ballads of Living and Dying." But the song "Bird On Your Grave" on her "Song III: Bird On The Water" EP is what clinched it for me. My mom died a couple of months ago, and I sometimes sing the songs she used to love to feel closer to her. Well, it just so happens, In that song, this is exactly what Marissa puts in her lyrics: "...been dead a couple of months, my friend;" "..and I still have your songs in my head, and your face engraved into the glass of me;" and lastly, "Tomorrow I'm going to leave a bird on your grave, and say a little prayer for you." Well, it just so happens - yet again - that I found a beautiful stone bird carved and painted in Mexico at a thrift store awhile back, and I've been looking at it and how I would have shown it to my mother who was Mexican. Now I have wrote "I love U Mom" on the bird and am going to place it on her grave, and of course, say a prayer. If this isn't the most sad but one of the most beautiful songs Marissa has written. So you can see why I also love her album "Ballads of Living and Dying" as well. I'm giving this album a "10" because I think it's an "8," but I have added an extra "2" points for the "Bird On Your Grave" song from 2007, and the connection I feel with Marissa's music is amazing! Love you, Marissa!… Full Review »
  3. criticschoice
    Feb 6, 2014
    10
    an artist who just keeps getting better. the production here does everything right. a perfect album of atmosphere and soul, front to back.an artist who just keeps getting better. the production here does everything right. a perfect album of atmosphere and soul, front to back. here, being done wrong sounds so good.… Full Review »
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