Friday, February 22, 2019

Marissa Nadler featuring John Cale - "Poison"

Sometimes you don't know you need something until you actually have it. That's the case with Marissa Nadler's duet with The Velvet Underground's John Cale. It seems like the song was written by Nadler without the knowledge that she'd be joined by Cale. Nadler says of the song:

“Sometimes it's best not to know in advance; that's what I continually remind myself about how this duet with legendary songwriter John Cale came togetherHad I known that Justin and Lawrence would arrange for Cale to sing ‘Poison’ with me before I wrote or recorded it, I cannot be certain I wouldn't have become frozen with hesitations and second-guessing. How do you even start to go about writing a duet with a member of the Velvet Underground? Surely I might have nervously changed the lyric that accidentally namechecks a title of a Velvet Underground song (‘Run Run Run’), at the very least. For me, Cale is one of the most influential rock musicians, remaining admirably hard to pin down. His appearance on this song was a complete surprise to me, but the instant I heard it I knew that this was the way the song was meant to be heard.”

It may seem like a slightly unexpected pairing, but, unsurprisingly, it works perfectly. Nadler and Cale's voices always have a haunting feel separately, and hearing them play off each other just enforces that feeling. "Poison" is a gorgeous, lush song, one that sticks with you, and will compel you to listen repeatedly.

You can listen to "Poison" below. The song is available as a 7" single with b-side "If We Make It Through the Summer" via KRO Records. You can order it now both in vinyl and digital options. For more on Marissa Nadler, check out her website. Current tour dates are below the song.


Fri. Mar. 1 – Los Angeles, CA @ Zebulon (w/ Hilary Woods)
Sat. Mar. 2 – San Francisco, CA @ CafĂ© Du Nord (w/ Hilary Woods)
Mon. Mar. 4 – Portland, OR @ Mississippi Studios (w/ Hilary Woods)
Tue. Mar. 5 – Seattle, WA @ Sunset Tavern (w/ Hilary Woods)
Wed. Mar. 6 – Vancouver, BC @ Static Jupiter (w/ Hilary Woods)
Wed. Apr. 10 – Groningen, NL @ VERA
Thu. Apr. 11 – Antwerp, BE @ De Roma
Fri. Apr. 12 – Masstricht, NL @ Museumnacht
Sat. Apr. 13 – Genk, BE @ Little Waves Festival
Sun. Apr. 14 – Tilburg, NL @ Roadburn Festival
Mon. Apr. 15 – London, UK @ Oslo Hackney
Tue. Apr. 16 – Brighton, UK @ The Prince Albert
Thu. Apr. 18 – Istanbul, TR @ Salon IKSV
Fri. Apr. 19 – Istanbul, TR @ Salon IKSV
Sat. Apr. 20 – Moscow, RU @ 16 Tons
Sun. Apr. 21 – St. Petersburg, RU @ Len Doc
Tue. Apr. 23 – Norrmalm, SE @ Nalen Klubb
Wed. Apr. 24 – Grunerlokka, NO @ Bla
Thu. Apr. 25 – Haga, SE @ Pustervik
Fri. Apr. 26 – Malmo, SE @ Babel
Sat. Apr. 27 – Hki, FI @ Temppeliaukion Church
Tue. Apr. 30 – Katowie, PL @ Palac Mlodz
Mon. July 8-Fri. July 12 – Big Indian, NY @ Frets & Refrains (Richard Thompson & Nancy Covey’s Guitar & Songwriting Camp)

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