Sharon Van Etten | ||
| Allmusic Biography : Although she was born and raised in suburban New Jersey, Sharon Van Ettens folk music evokes the open landscapes of a more expansive America. A dedicated choir student during her childhood, she studied clarinet, violin, and piano before moving on to guitar. She began writing songs in high school and sang in a choir group, the Madrigals. She credits her choral experiences as indispensable in learning to musically notate, as well as to sing harmonies. Upon graduation, Van Etten moved to Murfreesboro, Tennessee to attend Middle Tennessee State University. There she studied recording until she dropped out a year later. She remained in the city for over four years, working at Red Rose, a combination coffee house, record shop, and music venue. She wrote songs during the entire period, but never performed. After a personal crisis, she briefly moved back home to New Jersey, where she worked as a sommelier in a wine and dining establishment. After finally making a move to Brooklyn, she began to play in small public spaces, and to record her songs on individually hand-painted CD-Rs. She sold them at shows and via her website. At one show, she handed one to Kyp Malone of TV on the Radio. (She had known his brother in high school.) After hearing it, he enthusiastically encouraged her to pursue a musical career. Van Etten continued to perform, but was determined to learn about the business of music. To that end, she secured an internship with Ba Da Bing Records through a college friend. (She would later have a role as a full-time publicist.) While working there, she continued to write, play publicly, and record privately. Van Ettens first nationally released album was 2009s sparsely orchestrated Because I Was in Love, recorded for Language of Stone, a label manufactured and distributed by Chicago-based Drag City. Reviews were almost universally positive and helped secure her opening slots on other artists tours, as well as headline her first shows outside of the East Coast. This effort was followed by the lush, more band-oriented Epic in 2010, which was greeted by more praise. Signed to Jagjaguwar late in 2010, Van Etten began opening for the National on tour and working with the bands Aaron Dessner as a producer in the studio. Their collaboration resulted in her third album, Tramp, issued in early 2012. In support of the album, she toured the United States as a headliner and also played clubs and festivals in Europe. In 2013, she sang on the Nationals Trouble Will Find Me. Van Etten returned to the studio to record her fourth album, and co-produced it with Stewart Lerman. Are We There was released in May of 2014 to some of the highest critical acclaim of any album that year. She followed it in 2015 with the five-track EP I Dont Want to Let You Down. In 2016 Van Etten took on the role of Rachel in Brit Marling and Zal Batmanglijs surreal Netflix sci-fi/drama series The OA, and the following year she contributed a cover of Skeeter Davis "The End of the World" to the soundtrack for Amazons popular dystopian series The Man in the High Castle. Van Etten returned in January 2019 with Remind Me Tomorrow, an album that found her exploring adventurous new sonic territory. | ||
 | Album: 1 of 8 Title: Home Recordings Released: 2009-01-06 Tracks: 11 Duration: 50:24 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% AlbumCover | 1 I Wish I Knew (03:43) 2 For You (02:41) 3 Its Not Like (04:27) 4 Holding Out (06:43) 5 Keep (05:05) 6 Tornado (04:27) 7 Have You Seen (03:43) 8 I Cant Breathe (04:38) 9 Carry On (06:11) 10 Where Is My Love (04:03) 11 Damn Right (04:43) |
 | Album: 2 of 8 Title: Because I Was in Love Released: 2009-05-26 Tracks: 11 Duration: 44:38 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic Wikipedia AlbumCover | 1 I Wish I Knew (03:47) 2 Consolation Prize (04:03) 3 For You (02:31) 4 I Fold (03:26) 5 Have You Seen (03:15) 6 Tornado (04:31) 7 Much More Than That (04:32) 8 Same Dream (03:14) 9 Keep (04:59) 10 Its Not Like (04:13) 11 Holding Out (06:07) |
| Because I Was in Love : Allmusic album Review : Intimacy reigns supreme on Sharon Van Etten’s debut, which finds the folksinger crooning her melodies over beds of acoustic guitar, keyboard, and overdubbed harmonies. Her lyrics are the stuff of heartbreak and uncertainty -- “I wish I knew what to do with you” she laments during the first track, and later refers to herself as a lover’s “consolation prize” -- but her performances are confident, both simple in their delivery and subtle in their emotional punch. Because I Was in Love isn’t a bare-boned folk album; rather, it’s the sort of record that unfolds its layers with repeated listens, and the arrangements are often gorgeously lush without threatening to overpower Van Etten’s alto. | ||
 | Album: 3 of 8 Title: Epic Released: 2010-09-07 Tracks: 7 Duration: 32:49 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify TrackSamples Wikipedia Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 A Crime (03:13) 2 Peace Signs (02:53) 3 Save Yourself (04:59) 4 DSharpG (06:39) 5 Don’t Do It (05:05) 6 One Day (04:43) 7 Love More (05:14) |
| Epic : Allmusic album Review : Boasting a mere seven songs, Brooklyn-based singer/songwriter Sharon Van Ettens sophomore effort hardly lives up to the lofty promise of its name, but where Epic fails to deliver in size, it more than makes up for in sound. Van Etten possesses one of those rare voices that can make even the weakest material soar, so the decision to open the album with the perfectly serviceable, yet ultimately forgettable, solo heartbreak rant “A Crime” makes sense, as what follows is simply electrifying. Backed by a full traditional rock band and bolstered by weepy lap steels and harmoniums, Van Ettens full serpentine croon, which falls somewhere between Kristin Hersh, Neko Case, and Brandi Carlile, addresses the usual subjects of failure and longing, but there’s a strange, dark confidence behind all of the self-examination that makes even the most clichéd confessional singer/songwriter utterance feel dangerous. Of the seven tracks, “Peace Signs” with its sinewy verses and pulsing kick drum that threatens to cut loose into a full-on highway jam at any minute (but doesn’t), the languid, reverb-heavy country-rock sleeper “Save Yourself,” and the Jeff Buckley-esque closer, “Love More,” provide the most immediate rewards, but the remaining four cuts (even “A Crime”) are just as hypnotizing once the buzz kicks in. | ||
 | Album: 4 of 8 Title: Tramp Released: 2012-02-07 Tracks: 12 Duration: 46:23 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Wikipedia Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Warsaw (02:27) 2 Give Out (04:19) 3 Serpents (03:02) 4 Kevin’s (04:02) 5 Leonard (03:48) 6 In Line (04:44) 7 All I Can (04:54) 8 We Are Fine (03:49) 9 Magic Chords (03:56) 10 Ask (03:21) 11 I’m Wrong (03:55) 12 Joke or a Lie (04:02) |
| Tramp : Allmusic album Review : When Sharon Van Etten issued the ironically titled seven-song Epic in 2009, it stood in stark contrast to her 2007 debut, Because I Was in Love. On the latter record, she employed a full-on rock band, her songwriting gained a more defined precision, and her singing voice -- even at its most vulnerable -- seemed to speak with a confidence that didnt seem to need any frame of reference other than its own. Tramp is titled for the period of post-relationship uncertainty and the period of homelessness Van Etten experienced during its 14-month recording process. Produced by the Nationals Aaron Dessner, who puts the songwriters fine singing voice front and center, it features guest appearances by Zach Condon, Julianna Barwick, and more. "Warsaw," with its jagged electric guitars, bass, halting keyboards, and primitive, tom-tom heavy drums, is a shambling illustration of whats to be found here. Van Ettens protagonist is still vulnerable, but she wills herself toward a horizon past it. Likewise, the sets first single "Serpents," with its rumbling guitars and cracking snares, frankly discusses being physically and emotionally abused, but it comes from the other side, her protagonist is out of the situation, refusing to be a victim. Jenn Wassners backing vocals in every line transform this into an anthem of survival. Not everything here falls down the rock & roll rabbit hole, however. Acoustically driven ballads such as "Kevins," "All I Can," and "Leonard" highlight her subjects character defects and vulnerabilities as well as those of her significant others. Van Ettens lyrics accuse as much as they confess and empathize. More often than not, her subject is the one who leaves, rather than the one left; the reasons are myriad: betrayal, co-dependency, a willingness toward an emotional freedom that allows love itself to dictate what it expects. There is great beauty on Tramp, especially in its last third; from the jaunty, acoustic stroll of "We Are Fine" to the multi-textured, nearly psych-pop of "Im Wrong," to the airy, drifting closer "Joke or a Lie." For all this, Van Etten skirts the edges of giving us a great album without actually delivering one. Perhaps its the exhaustive, confessional nature of its songs, its reliance on three basic melodic ideas, or even its length. Whatever the reason(s), Tramp doesnt quite fulfill its considerable promise. But this isnt a criticism; Van Etten is still a young, developing songwriter who gets more sophisticated with each album. As such, Tramp offers plenty for listeners to enjoy as she goes. | ||
 | Album: 5 of 8 Title: Tramp Demos Released: 2012-11-13 Tracks: 13 Duration: 00:00 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% AlbumCover | 1 Warsaw (?) 2 Give Out (?) 3 Serpents (?) 4 Kevins (?) 5 Leonard (?) 6 In Line (?) 7 All I Can (?) 8 We Are Fine (?) 9 Magic Chords (?) 10 Ask (?) 11 Im Wrong (?) 12 Joke or a Lie (?) 13 Tell Me (?) |
 | Album: 6 of 8 Title: Are We There Released: 2014-05-26 Tracks: 11 Duration: 47:17 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic Wikipedia AlbumCover | 1 Afraid of Nothing (04:07) 2 Taking Chances (03:52) 3 Your Love Is Killing Me (06:18) 4 Our Love (03:54) 5 Tarifa (04:52) 6 I Love You but I’m Lost (04:20) 7 You Know Me Well (04:33) 8 Break Me (04:03) 9 Nothing Will Change (03:17) 10 I Know (03:37) 11 Every Time the Sun Comes Up (04:24) |
| Are We There : Allmusic album Review : Brooklyn singer/songwriter Sharon Van Ettens transfixing voice and often heart-wrenching songs come through in an odd mixture of pain and flourishing inspiration on the best moments of her fourth album, Are We There. The album, produced by Van Etten herself with some help from New York-based producer Stewart Lerman (Elvis Costello, Sophie B. Hawkins), follows her 2012 outing Tramp and trades up on some of the crushed indie templates of that album for new stylistic territory. From her first hushed demo-like recordings, Van Ettens songs have more often than not found their lyrical core stemming from painful relationships and hard times, culminating in Tramps tales of homelessness, uncertainty, and desperation. Are We Theres 11 selections also mine her harrowed heart for inspiration, be it the slow-burning portrait of a toxic love/hate romance in "Your Love Is Killing Me" or the obsessed fixation on an absent lover in "Break Me." While theres still a fair amount of heartbreak and pain in the subject matter of the songs, the folky strums and indie rock clatter of Tramp and earlier records have been expanded upon with more inventive musical approaches, leaving the album feeling much brighter, even in its darkest moments. "Taking Chances" is guided by an unexpectedly slinking bassline and minimal drum machine clicks, Van Ettens voice melting like honey over their laid-back foundations before introducing rawkus guitars on the chorus. Similar instrumentation shows up on "Our Love," a steady drum machine and lonely organ drone setting the stage for the brilliantly arranged multi-tracked harmonies and an indie take on the sophisticated tones of 80s quiet storm R&B.; Even when tending toward more familiar rock sounds, the arrangements on Are We There are more considered, colorful, and ornate than ever before. Where previous albums felt a little too anchored to Van Ettens samey guitar changes, here tracks like "Tarifa" explode with sure-footed horn sections, nostalgic Hammond organ, and spirals of anthemic vocal harmonies. Quieter songs like "I Know" and "I Love You But Im Lost" are driven by piano, leaving lots of space for the vocals to soar, while the cinematic textures and haunted guitar twang of "You Know Me Well" could almost draw comparisons to Lana Del Rey in her more Twin Peaks moments. The more inventive arrangements and advances in songwriting are an undeniable step forward for Van Etten. While still immersed in songs of emotional ravagement and betrayal, the confidence of her performances and spectrum of sounds represented here suggest a complete graduation from troubled, uncertain roots into a place where she can deliver her songs with a powerful, borderless command. | ||
 | Album: 7 of 8 Title: I Don’t Want to Let You Down EP Released: 2015-06-09 Tracks: 5 Duration: 22:18 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% AlbumCover | 1 I Dont Want to Let You Down (04:03) 2 Just Like Blood (04:41) 3 I Always Fall Apart (03:20) 4 Pay My Debts (05:15) 5 Tell Me (live) (04:58) |
 | Album: 8 of 8 Title: Remind Me Tomorrow Released: 2019-01-18 Tracks: 10 Duration: 41:17 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify TrackSamples AlbumCover | 1 I Told You Everything (04:45) 2 No One’s Easy to Love (04:34) 3 Memorial Day (04:27) 4 Comeback Kid (03:02) 5 Jupiter 4 (05:14) 6 Seventeen (04:25) 7 Malibu (03:23) 8 You Shadow (03:14) 9 Hands (04:08) 10 Stay (04:00) |