Le Poisson Rouge got a visit last month from RISD-schooled painter turned gothic songstress Marissa Nadler. You can check out the entire show for free right here.

Before You Press Play

Hometown: Boston

The Facts: This year, Nadler may have clinched the record for Singer Most Frequently Compared to an Ancient Greek Siren. Even when wrapped in reverb and woozy, fingerpicked guitar, her voice has a bareness that renders even her most affecting melodies downright spooky. On this year's Little Hells, Nadler sounds as if she pulled a loose thread from the American folk quilt and ran off into the darkness with it.

The Sound: Dark and dreamy tunes clearly informed by folk, but not wedded to its traditions.

Latest Release: Little Hells (2009) on Kemado Records

He Said, She Said: "She has a voice that, in mythological times, could have lured men to their deaths at sea, an intoxicating soprano drenched in gauzy reverb that hits bell-clear heights, lingers, and tapers off like rings of smoke. Hardly anyone considers Nadler a folk musician." – James Reed, Boston Globe

"By all accounts, Nadler’s not a gloomy person, she’s simply someone adept at getting in touch with life’s darker side, and an artist skillful enough to make exceedingly palpable the emotion with which she imbues her work." – Adam Strohm, Dusted Magazine