Sharon Von Etten & the Attachment Theory : "s/t"

 

This album was spawned from Sharon walking into band practice and asking to just jam. The magic of spontaneity in this experience showed her that relinquishing creative control and being more collaborative was so freeing for her that it invited her band to become a part of the more organic writing process for this album. Despite opening with a more electronic pulse, you can hear how things are jammed out as the song evolves with the drummer employing a greater sense of dynamic playing when given free rein to do so.. 

Lyrically the first two songs seem to dwell on aspects of mortality. Her singing carries a more hopeful soul to it for "Afterlife". This finds her shedding some of the more brooding introspection. "Idiot Box" moves with a more post-punk groove. Aside from a few multitracked harmonies, the vocal production is more stripped down on this album."Trouble" cruises with a slightly more introspective ambiance draping her vocals. So fat, this one reminds me the most of her previous work. "Indio" picks up the pace with more of a brisk post-punk shuffle. Her vocal lines are interesting on this one. "I Can't Imagine" finds a Blondie-flavored take on Disco, bringing more groove to things. 

"Something Ain't Righ" makes it clear that the style of post-punk their inspiration is drawn from is the early New York-bred version that emerged in the mid-seventies. You can hear traces of the Talking Heads in "Something Ain't Right" as she asks if you believe in compassion for enemies. "Southern Life" employs similar grooves to those that powered Bowie's "Young Americans" album. Her vocals on the verses are more of a droning chant. 

Her hushed vocals step closer to the mic for "Fading Beauty."  The accompaniment on this one is more minimalist. It does put the brakes on the momentum the album established, but I understand why she chooses to indulge this side of her emotional currency. "I Want You Here" took a couple of listens in order to describe what is happening. It is often best to not overthink things, so by definition, the song is a ballad, though a dynamic one that allows her to really flex her pipes and makes for a stunning listen. I'll round this one up to a 10, she makes all the right choices here. Drops Febuary 7th on Jagjaguwar

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pst 41

Sharon Van Etten: "We've Been Going at This the Wrong Way"

 Catching up with album released earlier this year. The one originally came out back in May. She continues to perfect her brand of atmospheric folk rock, with a great dynamic build on the opening track. Piano plays a more prominent role on the second song. Her voice holding a hushed tension. The beat to "I'll Try" gives things more motion as it moves in more of a pop direction musically though her rather stark melodies do not follow this line of thinking. I find myself as I review this album having to keep a tally of when it falls in a more folk direction than a pop one the further, I progress into it. This differentiation is easy to make on songs dominated by the strum of acoustic guitar like "Anything". Though the dynamics do give it more sonic heft.  

That is not to say a more languid form of balladry is not another sonic color he uses , often near the sonic zip code employed by Lana Del Rey, though perhaps not as lounging on the California beaches, though she did move to California from New York, so it makes me wonder if she would have made the same album on the east coast. It does swell into a impressive almost symphonic climax.  Things get surprisingly heavy on "Headspace' which has a more industrial pulse, in how the beat hits. Then it's more folk for the dreamy "Come Back".  The lazy dream filled mood, is pleasing to the ears, but not as interesting in its arrangement until the other layer of vocals and the drums kick in. You can hear a touch of country influence under the surface. Her voice is projected with power when she belts it out while maintaining the vulnerable tremble, not unlike the approach of Thom York or Roy Orbison.

"Darkish" is thicker on the atmospheric folk feels than the hooks, though she jerks back in a more tense indie pop direction with the song that follows it. The meets the middle ground of these dynamics on "Far Away", which reminds me a little of Zola Jesus' more organically ambient moments. "Never Going to Change" cover similar ground but has a more urgent vibe to the melody. Then there is almost an 89s tinged pop feel to "Porta" , her voice bends around the beat with an emotive waver.  "Used to it" floats on a dreamy wave of ambiance, though it not the album's catchiest song, however it works for what it is intended to do. Like many of the songs on here an electric drumbeat, propels the dream laden musing, that float like dark cloud around the silver lining her voice brings.  I will round this one up to a 10, wish I had found it earlier in the year, as I was reviewing the album I kept a tally how many songs were folk and how many were pop and the folk side of this album beat out the pop side by a margin of two, moodier than most pop, if you like beat driven folk or reflective pop then this album is for you.