Who is she? Why should you care?
Once a homeless young lady crashing at co-workers and friend’s places, she is someone to watch out for. It takes a lot of courage for a woman these days to name her album Tramp, especially since that album gently hints at the emotional challenges of our hearts. Brooklyn native Sharon Van Etten, then, deals with sour love and the insanity that can damage the heart and yet keep on surviving somehow. The saturated melodies of Tramp‘s rocking first single, “Serpents”, simultaneously recall Liz Phair and Neko Case, while “We Are Fine” supplies a remedy in order to calm panic attacks. On her third record, Van Etten has been one of America’s best-kept secrets for awhile now. But make no mistake, this was a pleasant experience getting to hear samples of her stuff on NPR news, for me. The press has gotten a hold of her presence now, and it shows. “Sharon Van Etten plays bittersweet neofolk so slow, spare and subtle that you might have to crane your neck to hear it. The Brooklyn songsmith’s tunes are definitely worth the effort.” – Time Out New York. Anyone familiar with the band “The National” might know who Aaron Dessner is. He produced this new album, which is available Tuesday Feb 7th. Tramp is one of the must-hears of early 2012.
The Music Bard 