The Marble Index Nico Artist

The quirky, orchestrated {|folk-rock|} of {|Nico|}'s 1968 debut album, {|Chelsea Girl|}, in no way prepared listeners for the stark, almost {|avant-garde|} flavor of her 1969 follow-up, {|The Marble Index|}. The chanteuse presented an uncompromisingl... Read more

The quirky, orchestrated {|folk-rock|} of {|Nico|}'s 1968 debut album, {|Chelsea Girl|}, in no way prepared listeners for the stark, almost {|avant-garde|} flavor of her 1969 follow-up, {|The Marble Index|}. The chanteuse presented an uncompromisingly bleak, gothic soundscape on her second album. Dominated by spare harmonium and {|Nico|}'s deep, brooding vocals, this album unveiled her singularly morose songwriting (her first record featured none of her compositions). Owing more to European {|classical|} and {|folk|} music than {|rock|}, it found little favor with 1969 audiences. But like the work of {|the Velvet Underground|}, it proved to be quite influential in the long run on a future generation of black-clad goth rockers. ~ Richie Unterberger Less