Riderless Horse
Nina Nastasia · 2022
33 min · 14 tracks · folk music
A delicate tapestry of intimate storytelling woven with gentle melodies and hauntingly honest vocals.
Top tracks — play these first
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Just Stay in Bed — This track captures the essence of vulnerability and longing, encapsulating the struggle between desire and the comfort of solitude. Its conversational lyrics draw listeners into an intimate space.
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This Is Love — With its poignant reflections on love's complexities, this song stands out for its lyrical clarity and emotive delivery, revealing both joy and heartache in equal measure.
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Trust — The haunting composition paired with evocative lyrics highlights themes of faith and uncertainty in relationships, making it a cornerstone of the album's emotional journey.
Elevation
Our rating, out of 100 — and why.
AI-generated from five scored dimensions. An opinion, not a measurement.
Nina Nastasia's return showcases strong songwriting and intimate production, though it may not resonate widely beyond her established audience.
What we noticed
- The first half of the album features tracks that maintain a consistent, gentle tempo, while the second half introduces more varied dynamics and instrumentation.
- Several songs utilize sparse arrangements, allowing Nastasia's vocals to take center stage, particularly in 'Just Stay in Bed' and 'You Were So Mad'.
- The lyrics across the album often employ vivid imagery and personal anecdotes, creating a narrative thread that connects many of the tracks.
- Composition 25% of the score
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7/10
- Craft 20% of the score
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8/10
- Durability 25% of the score
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6/10
- Distinctiveness 18% of the score
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6/10
- Sequencing 12% of the score
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7/10
the writing — melody, harmony, structure, lyrics
production, performance, arrangement
whether it rewards returning to it
whether it sounds like itself
running order, pacing, length
Known within its scene. Reported but not counted — how far a record travelled describes its reception rather than the record, and a newer release has had less time to travel than an older one.
Is this for you?
Good fit if you like
- intimate moments of vulnerability
- short, reflective listening breaks
- haunting melodies for quiet nights
- gentle exploration of connection
Maybe skip if you
- seeking upbeat party tracks
- prefer longer immersive albums
Where this album fits
- Career context
- Riderless Horse is Nina Nastasia's first album in over a decade, following her previous release, Outlaster, in 2010. This gap marks a significant period of personal and artistic reflection, as Nastasia navigated through various life changes, including a departure from her longtime collaborator. The album represents her return to the music scene, showcasing a matured sound while maintaining her signature folk essence.
- Stylistic neighbors
- Lisa Hannigan· Sufjan Stevens· Joanna Newsom
Tracklist
Best experienced from track one — press play and let it unfold.
- 1 Cork and Pour 0:12
- 2 Just Stay in Bed 2:11
- 3 You Were So Mad 2:52
- 4 This Is Love 3:10
- 5 Nature 2:56
- 6 Lazy Road 2:45
- 7 Ask Me 3:40
- 8 Blind as Batsies 2:35
- 9 The Two of Us 2:37
- 10 Go Away 2:18
- 11 The Roundabout 2:09
- 12 Trust 3:19
- 13 Afterwards 2:34
- 14 Creek and Chimes 0:32
Reference: Wikipedia · MusicBrainz · Wikidata
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