Things happen to your head sometimes when you listen to music. You might get transported or you get enchanted or you might even fail to notice the music as it – no doubt through some advanced sorcery – has somehow managed to reprogramme your mind on the fly. Sharon Van Etten did that to me.
To tell the truth, even my notoriously sensitive trendiness detector hadn’t highlighted this cult favourite to me before and, on this album “Epic”, she proves herself to be an artist of maturity and distinction. Her voice convinces and charms whether in the faux country sentimentality of “Save Yourself” or in the more disturbing and industrial “Dsharpg”. Reminiscent of a more redolent Neko Case (especially on “One Day”), Ms Van Etten represents the metamorphosis of a heartbroken indie songstress into the modern day equivalent of a torch singer. She betrays a resolutely downbeat attitude throughout but this, curiously, doesn’t lead to an overdose of self pity or indeed to drowning in a sea of angst. Instead there is an almost disturbing honesty to the presentation of her emotions that engenders understanding in the listener.
I doubt that this album will represent the pinnacle of Ms Van Etten’s musical achievements as it is, after all, almost too honest to make with the killer punch. However, I can’t deny being entranced by this album. It is truly an entrée to love. Reviewed on vinyl which is, of course, entirely appropriate to her music.