Songs III: Bird on the Water

Backed by the revered Philly psych-folk group Espers-- and produced by that band's frontman, Greg Weeks-- singer-songwriter Marissa Nadler's latest outing is her best yet, ensconsing songs of sorrow in impressionistic phrases and careful musicianship.

Not since Leonard Cohen turned the sound of a snowy day into a folk-music career has one guitar-playing singer-songwriter brought such a thick, lovely frost to acoustica as Marissa Nadler on her third album, Songs III: Bird On The Water. The album's title and the song "Bird On Your Grave" even nod to Cohen, as does…