Photo – Ryan Pfluger
Sharon Van Etten has always has always had a voice that buckled my knees. Hell, I’d get emotional watching that Volvo commercial with Every Time The Sun Comes Up. In every article you read about her, she comes across as smart, sexy yet as approachable as the girl next door.
As the first PR pieces came out about her first album in five years, there was lots of talk about how synths were going to be prominently featured on this album. As a general rule, I don’t like synths. I think too often they are used a crutch to mask mediocre songwriting. But when used right, they can really bring something to the table.
Van Etten’s use reminds me of how Tim Showalter uses them with Strand Of Oaks. Neither of them let the synths wash them out which is why when I saw this tweet and Sharon and Tim’s response, I got a little excited.
Now all I want is for @sharonvanetten and @Strandofoaks to pull their vibes together and remake @springsteen ‘s Born In The USA with modern synths and have it be the greatest tribute record ever. ♥️♥️♥️ #amancandream #pleasepleaseplease #merica?
— Ruby Bones (@RubyBones) January 8, 2019
Remind Me Tomorrow is a truly brilliant album. Seventeen is now my favorite SVE track. As I emailed to her publicist, “as a father to a 12 y/o daughter, it really hits home.” I sure hope she doesn’t wait five years til her new album but with all she’s got going on, it will be understandable. And it will definitely be worth the wait.
Follow me on Twitter at @WoodyHearYa or @HearYa
Sharon Van Etten is here
