Van Etten, Sharon

Van Etten, Sharon

Epic Ten

Ba Da Bing!

“epic represents a crossroads for me as an artist. Going from intern to artist at Ba Da Bing, from solo folk singer to playing with a band for the first time and beginning to play shows on tour where people showed up. I am in awe of the artists who wanted to participate in celebrating my anniversary and reissue, from young inspiring musicians, to artists who took me under their wing, who I met on tour, and to artists I’ve looked up to since I was a teenager. Each one of these artists continue to influence my writing and provide a sense of camaraderie during this new era of sharing music.” –Sharon Van Etten   Sharon Van Etten’s career since the release of her second album, 2010’s epic, is well-known; critically lauded albums, films, and television shows have continually displayed her expanding artistry. Upon its release, epic laid a romantic melancholy over the gravel and dirt of heartbreak without one honest thought or feeling spared. Her songs covered betrayal, obsession, egotism, and all the other emotions disliked in others and recognize in oneself. Van Etten’s grounded and clenched vocals conveyed a sense of hope—the notion that beauty can arise from the worst of circumstances. To celebrate the 10th anniversary of this special album’s release, and to acknowledge the convergence of Van Etten’s present and past work, she asked fellow artists she admired to participate in an expanded reissue, where each artist would cover one different song from epic in their...

Van Etten, Sharon

Epic

Ba Da Bing!

 Free mp3 of the non-album track "The Romance of the Telescope" (Sharon's cover of the OMD song) available  here ***BACK IN STOCK!!!  Received a 7.8 rating from Pitchfork.  Sharon Van Etten came to Brooklyn via Jersey via Tennessee via Jersey. Along the way, she sang in choirs, rejected her school's music program, worked at an all-ages venue, trained as a sommelier and got a full time job at a record label. She also had a few bad experiences in relationships. More than a few. Epic, Van Etten's second album, lays a romantic melancholy lining over the gravel and dirt of heartbreak, without one honest thought or feeling spared. She sings of betrayal, obsession, egotism and all the other emotions we hate in others and recognize in ourselves. Van Etten's grounded and clenched vocals convey the sense of hope--the notion that beauty can come out of the worst of circumstances. Epic is indeed that beauty. The album was recorded at Miner Street Studios in Philadelphia with Brian McTear. Where Van Etten's first record, Because I Was in Love, explored her thoughts on love through minimalism and sparseness, Epic embellishes her music to grandiose luminosity. She supplements guitar and vocals with drums, piano, lap steel and a trio of backing vocalists--Meg Baird (Espers), Cat Martino and Jessica Larrabee (She Keeps Bees)--for a fully realized album that astounds as it elucidates, disturbs as it soothes. The final track, "Love More," has already been covered live in a collaborative effort...

Van Etten, Sharon

Because I Was In Love

Language Of Stone

***Certain musicians are magic. Their voices prick up the ears of those far afield, melt the hearts of those within earshot and magnetize the attention of those souls fortunate enough to have a clear sightline. Sharon Van Etten is a singer and songwriter who trades in that caliber of mysticism. What her heart bleeds her songs soak in and offer up to those throats in need of slaking. This is what we expect from musicians who trade in the autobiographical. We hold forth empty vessels and expect them to be filled with the reflective elements of a songwriter’s soul, mirrors within which we search for some small recognizable part of the self. Sharon’s bane may be to feel too deeply, but her raw nerves, open heart and generous soul offer the rest of us a means to ease our own points of suffering.