There are streaks of Vashti Bunyan in Sharon Van Etten‘s lulled, willowing voice, and Will Oldham in her dimly lit recordings. No effects, no tricky vocal lines or harmonies. The raw power of Etten’s dark melody — the way she holds the sad notes and sighs them out like a line of twisting cigarette smoke — is stunning. A patient guitar and harmonizing vocals shuffle along underneath Etten’s prayerful ascending voice and then lilt back down like leaves. Just a few days following her highly lauded performances at SXSW where she played the NPR showcase and headlined the Jagjaguwar showcase, Sharon Van Etten will play Conan tonight (Tue March 20). Check out the video of the single "Leonard" below, and download the free single "Serpents" here. – Andrew Spaulding
