Weekly Release Spotlight: Sharon Van Etten
Posted on 2/12/2012
Sharon Van Etten
Tramp
Jagjaguwar
Tramp
Jagjaguwar
Though the black and white close-up on the cover of Tramp may scream “in-your-face,” the third release in as many years by singer songwriter Sharon Van Etten is anything but. With songs that call out to the heart instead of leaning on a gimmick, the New Jersey native lays her smoky vocals and sidewalk busker guitar throughout the album’s twelve tracks. Even so, frequent turnover of female singer-songwriters in today’s indie music scene can make it hard for emerging talent to stand out in the crowd. For Sharon Van Etten, the dues have been paid and the days of living as a barista in Tennessee are gone yet not forgotten as she teams up with Aaron Dessner of The National to produce a compelling yet distanced glimpse into the soul of the songwriter.
Moving beyond the alt-folk feel of 2010’s Epic, the record that gave us hits such as “Save Yourself” and “One Day,” the bar has been set high for Tramp, which centers around Van Etten’s musical maturity and diversity. From the stomping and strumming of the opening cut “Warsaw” to the heartfelt soul searching of the albums closer, “Joke or a Lie,” the record takes listeners on a journey through heartbreak and strength, through good times and bad. With songs like “Serpents,” the first single off of Tramp, themes of loss and change are accompanied by the rhythmic drums and bass that make the song feel like the soundtrack to a story about two ex-lovers in a bank robbery getaway gone wrong. The quiet acoustic sounds of “All I Can” are interlaced with Van Etten’s voice reminiscing about the past, holding on to memories, and trying to love again in the process. As the song progresses, the crescendo hits and Van Etten bears her soul as she belts out “the memory of you, the love overdue, to carry a face, I cannot re-trace, I do all I can, we all make mistakes.”
So don’t let the name or the face fool you. Tramp isn’t some lady rocker bragging about her list of conquests. It’s about the journey from love to loss and back again. It’s about walking the long road, sometimes alone, with only your memories of days gone by, the beat of the heart in your chest and rhythm of your feet on the ground to keep you company.
Sharon Van Etten - "Serpents"