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The first I heard of Sharon Van Etten was a few months ago in my Last.fm recommendations. Based on the artists she was recommended to me because of, I figured she would just be another typical acoustic singer-songwriter and since it takes a lot for a musician like that to make an impression on me, I skipped over her for awhile. Then I randomly came across the revelation that she sang the female vocals on "Thirteen" from The Antlers' brilliant album, Hospice, and since her contribution is one of the most affecting moments on that album, I decided I definitely needed to check her out. Ultimately, her most recent album, Epic, doesn't quite match up with either of these expectations. It doesn't sound at all like her part on The Antlers' album and while it does have a singer-songwriter vibe, if that's actually possible, it's not what you'd expect from a generic girl with a guitar either. Epic pairs Van Etten's simple lyrics and melodies with big, building instrumental accompaniment and lots of lush, almost dreamy harmony vocals. I think it's officially become the first release from last year that I wish I'd heard before I made my list because it probably would have been somewhere on it. It's the kind of album that creeps up on you very unassumingly; through two or three listens, you don't hate it but you're not so sure you love it either but then, suddenly, without any warning, you find yourself craving these songs. "Don't Do It" is my current favorite. It's ridiculously addictive and Van Etten's voice is so clean and pure but also has enough of an edge to keep you actively listening instead of dozing off. It's quite an accomplishment that something so simple and repetitive can be turned into something so immense and expansive and, well, epic.
The first I heard of Sharon Van Etten was a few months ago in my Last.fm recommendations. Based on the artists she was recommended to me because of, I figured she would just be another typical acoustic singer-songwriter and since it takes a lot for a musician like that to make an impression on me, I skipped over her for awhile. Then I randomly came across the revelation that she sang the female vocals on "Thirteen" from The Antlers' brilliant album, Hospice, and since her contribution is one of the most affecting moments on that album, I decided I definitely needed to check her out. Ultimately, her most recent album, Epic, doesn't quite match up with either of these expectations. It doesn't sound at all like her part on The Antlers' album and while it does have a singer-songwriter vibe, if that's actually possible, it's not what you'd expect from a generic girl with a guitar either. Epic pairs Van Etten's simple lyrics and melodies with big, building instrumental accompaniment and lots of lush, almost dreamy harmony vocals. I think it's officially become the first release from last year that I wish I'd heard before I made my list because it probably would have been somewhere on it. It's the kind of album that creeps up on you very unassumingly; through two or three listens, you don't hate it but you're not so sure you love it either but then, suddenly, without any warning, you find yourself craving these songs. "Don't Do It" is my current favorite. It's ridiculously addictive and Van Etten's voice is so clean and pure but also has enough of an edge to keep you actively listening instead of dozing off. It's quite an accomplishment that something so simple and repetitive can be turned into something so immense and expansive and, well, epic.
