![]() ![]() Recorded and mixed in only eleven days with producer Brian McTear, Epic is a bit of a step up for Van Etten. That suggests a determination and a creative flow an urgency that can be heard in the album. A lot of artists take a little while to follow their debut album, but Sharon Van Etten brought Epic out in 2010 – just a year from her introduction. If her debut was a glimpse of future brilliance, the honesty and emotion of (It Was) Because I Was in Love is stunning. But here we get the most incisive look into the soul of Sharon van Etten and that’s hard to replicate. There’s certainly nothing anywhere near as anthemic as ‘Even When The Sun Comes Up Her’ and later material, particularly Are We There, is far more fleshed out. It’s imperfect, indecisive, sometimes lacks real direction and is gorgeously raw. While the parenthesis-enhanced (It Was) Because I Was In Love may have been reissued, remastered and re-released as a bit of housekeeping, it actually stands to me as her most affecting material. But more importantly, the way she twists those vocals, seen most pertinently on the chorus of ‘I’m Giving Up On You’, makes everything sound uniquely her creation. She seemingly breaths and sighs her way through tracks, with layered vocals lending a sense of the haunted. One thing the record does, that would return on later records, is showcase her knack for crafting vocal melodies that feel entirely original. That level of uncertainty the rears on ‘Much More Than That’ again as she closes with “I sigh and then I frown, I write this moment down, but I cannot paint pictures with my tongue.” As an audience, we relate how she feels about her own ability, but crucially, she actually can paint pictures with her tongue. She sings “I’m a tornado, you are the dust, you’re all around and you’re inside” in what is one of the strongest tracks from the record. Take ‘Tornado’, a song that sounds exhausted and confessionary. Creating that intimacy works wonders in terms of fitting with what are equally intimate lyrics. ![]() That production we’ve spoke about only serves to shine a spotlight on that further. “ Lyrically, the album feels very much like a journal. (It Was) Because I Was in Love, as the title suggests, is very personal and, as this review from Drowned in Sound highlights, one could almost be listening to Van Etten’s diary entries: Perhaps a little more minimal than her later work, Van Etten’s debut puts her voice and guitar at the fore there is a little bit of organ and harmonies but, for the most part, it is naked and incredibly compelling songwriting. A decade before she gave the world Remind Me Tomorrow, (It Was) Because I Was in Love arrived into the world. Her move to New York happened in 2005 and, four years later, she released her debut album. After a brief period at college, Van Etten had a few jobs – including a coffee shop-cum-record store – and moved back to New Jersey (from Tennessee) in 2004. Born in New Jersey in 1981, Van Etten caught the musical bug when she attended North Hunterdon High School, where she participated in stage musicals. ![]() I also believe she will be considered an icon of the future and, at this moment, is one of the most inspiring artists in all of music. I have been a follower of Van Etten’s for a little while, but I think she has hit top form this year. I have included her because, for a start, her music is among the very best around and, also, the fact Remind Me Tomorrow, her latest album, is one of 2019’s most stunning. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |