Sharon Van Etten - Tramp Review
Posted by C.A. Bell on 02.10.2012
The indie darling has decided to blow up her sound and take a chance being a serious crossover hit. How does she do? Join C.A. Bell for a full review of the new record.
Release Date:Feb. 7, 2012 Running Time:46:12 Label:Jagjaguwar Genre:Alternative Singer-Songwriter, Indie Pop Drug of Choice: This record doesn't need any help. Key Tracks:
"Serpents"
"Ask"
"I'm Wrong"
Since Sharon Van Etten's official debut in 2009, her name has been met with an increasing amount of recognition, seemingly by the day. Multiple spotlight references from NPR's All Songs Considered and her appearance with The National for their contribution to the 2011 film Win Win have brought anticipation of her third record, Tramp, to near fever pitch among the indie community. There is good reason for that too. With Tramp, Sharon Van Etten has made the kind of album that most artists would kill to have in their catalog. Understated, and yet always providing an exactly satisfying payoff, Tramp is one of the best records I have heard in some time. This is a downright achievement in modern music.
Van Etten's previous records have been heavily steeped in Midwestern American folk, but for Tramp she steps into the transcendent. The sound of this record most closely resembles the great Mazzy Star records of the mid-nineties. That is a reference that isn't necessarily rare. As a matter of fact, Brooklyn singer-songwriters are filthy with the Mazzy sound. Where they fail and Sharon succeeds is in her ability to build past the melancholy and use it to serve the purpose of her story. What I typically hear from those other bands are artists hopelessly lost in the environmental sad sludge. Van Etten starts with that same aesthetic, but allows her songs to rise out of it into something else entirely. Making this achievement all the more impressive is the way Van Etten recorded it. Put together in the garage studio of The National's guitarist Aaron Dessner, the band is mostly a lineup of guest musicians (including members of Wye Oak), all the while Van Etten was homeless and crashing on friend's couches. That she was able to construct a record of such singular vision isn't just impressive, it is almost unbelievable. Of course, it never hurts to have The National's Bryan Devendorf behind the skins either.
After several listens to a record like Tramp, it is hard to find an excuse for the overblown, self-indulgent schmaltz that too often pollutes the indie scene. Sharon Van Etten has crafted, with a steady hand, a record that says exactly what it has to say and leaves me wanting more. Just like Van Etten croons on "Leonard"; He's smart. He leaves me wanting more. It is obvious that she has a deep affection for these songs and that affection is contagious. This is the record that I will automatically be recommending to friends and family for the foreseeable months. You should buy this. You should buy it right now. Tramp is the kind of record that people will remember in 2012.
The 411: Since her 2010 debut, Sharon Van Etten's name has been popping up in a lot of places. She has released her third record this week and I am extremely happy to report that the hype has all been worth it. In my mind, arguing about Lana Del Rey is simply a waste of time when you could be listening to this record instead. I don't think I am stepping too far out of bounds to say that this will be one of the best records of 2012.
