Album Review
Fans of acoustic guitar-playing female singer-songwriters are so flooded with options these days that they are in the position to be pretty discriminating. Artists such as Alela Diane, Marissa Nadler, Jana Hunter, and Mariee Sioux have issued a steady stream of quality music, and have collectively set a fairly high standard for newcomers to match. Yet on her debut full-length album, Because I Was in Love, Brooklyn's Sharon Van Etten proves that she has the expressive voice and the songwriting chops to ably hold her own in the company of her peers.
As with the aforementioned artists, Van Etten's work retains some echoes of folk tradition but generally operates in a more personal, introspective space. Following a number of hand-designed and self-released recordings, a 2008 tour with Meg Baird brought Van Etten into the orbit of Philadelphia's Espers, whose Greg Weeks recorded Because I Was in Love at Hexham Head studio. With Weeks' veteran assistance, Van Etten keeps the album's arrangements minimal and direct, augmenting her voice and guitar with only the occasional splash of organ, brushed cymbals, or multi-tracked vocal harmonies.
Though the arrangements are spare, the performances on Because I Was in Love are not skeletal-- these are full-bodied songs that sound finished, as though Van Etten had already lived with this material long enough to know intuitively how best to present it. In this regard Van Etten's work can resemble Chan Marshall's earliest Cat Power recordings, especially in the way that Van Etten's confident, nuanced soprano is able to help temper the emotional fragility of her material.
As the title suggests, Because I Was In Love spends most of its time chronicling the bittersweet ache and light-headed confusion that can only arise through the ebbs and flows of romance. Unlike some low-key vocalists who prefer to sing as if nobody were listening, Van Etten instead sings these songs as though she had an audience of one, with nearly every lyric directed straight to some unnamed "you." And, at the risk of conflating the performer with her performance, suffice to say that throughout the album Van Etten really nails it, sounding every bit like someone trying to get her head around a complex and evolving relationship.
On opener "I Wish I Knew" or the sumptuous "Much More Than That", Van Etten writes with such intimacy (her lyrics filled with direct lines like, "I wish I knew what to do with you," or "Please don't take me lightly") that the listener gets an almost disconcerting sense of eavesdropping on a private conversation. Elsewhere, as on "Tornado" or the captivating "Consolation Prize", Van Etten sounds more reflective, keeping a measured distance from her narratives, even if her songs' ultimate conclusions ("The moral of the story is don't lie to me again") recognize the impossibility of pat endings and easy solutions.
Most crucial to the album's success, however, is Van Etten's unerring sense for crafting memorable, seductive melodies. Here again she takes no shortcuts, as she largely forgoes standard verse-chorus repetition in favor of a more organic style, with wonderful songs like "For You" and "Holding Out" gently unwinding like the lines across a hand-drawn road map. Even in a folk scene that can sometimes feel over-crowded, Because I Was in Love positions Sharon Van Etten immediately towards the front of the pack.
— Matthew Murphy, June 22, 2009
Album Player
- Dinosaur Jr.: Farm
- Sunset Rubdown: Dragonslayer
- Regina Spektor: Far
- God Help the Girl: God Help the Girl
- Tortoise: Beacons of Ancestorship
- Gossip: Music For Men
- Bibio: Ambivalence Avenue
- The Lemonheads: Varshons
- Future of the Left: Travels With Myself and Another
- Saint Etienne: Foxbase Alpha / Continental
- Dirty Projectors: Bitte Orca
- Spinnerette: Spinnerette
- Deer Tick: Born on Flag Day
- Noisettes: Wild Young Hearts
- Patterson Hood: Murdering Oscar (and Other Love Songs)
- The Paper Chase: Someday This Could All Be Yours
- Mos Def: The Ecstatic
- Sholi: Sholi
- So Many Dynamos: The Loud Wars
- The Present: World I See / The Way We Are
- Bibio: Ambivalence Avenue
- Various Artists: A Psychedelic Guide to Monsterism Island
- Ganglians: Ganglians / Monster Head Room
- Hello Seahorse!: Bestia
- Land of Kush: Against the Day
- Tortoise: Beacons of Ancestorship
- The Lemonheads: Varshons
- Alasdair Roberts: Spoils
- So Many Dynamos: The Loud Wars
- The Present: World I See / The Way We Are
- Sunset Rubdown: Dragonslayer
- Gossip: Music For Men
- Spinnerette: Spinnerette
- Future of the Left: Travels With Myself and Another
- The Paper Chase: Someday This Could All Be Yours
- God Help the Girl: God Help the Girl
- Regina Spektor: Far
- Playboy Tre: Liquor Store Mascot
- Noisettes: Wild Young Hearts
- Larry Jon Wilson: Larry Jon Wilson
Recently
Reviews
- Bibio: Ambivalence Avenue
- Various Artists: A Psychedelic Guide to Monsterism Island
- Ganglians: Ganglians / Monster Head Room
- Hello Seahorse!: Bestia
- Land of Kush: Against the Day
Track Reviews
TV
Features
News
- Jackson's Cause of Death Not Yet Determined
- Video: Wilco and Feist Perform "You and I"
- Echo Chamber: Colin Meloy
- Reznor Reveals Rejected Timbaland Remix
- Stars' Amy Millan Preps Second Solo Album
- Blur Reunion Live Album on the Way
- New Release: The Postmarks: Memoirs at the End...
- MGMT to Open for Paul McCartney
- Echo Chamber: Black Francis
- Download a New Fleet Foxes Song
Reviews
- Tortoise: Beacons of Ancestorship
- The Lemonheads: Varshons
- Alasdair Roberts: Spoils
- So Many Dynamos: The Loud Wars
- The Present: World I See / The Way We Are
Track Reviews
News
- Artists React to Michael Jackson's Death
- R.I.P. Michael Jackson
- Benefits: Jeff Tweedy | Robin Pecknold | TVOTR
- Echo Chamber: Morrissey
- Join the Vampire Weekend Tribute Band!
- New Release: Joe Pernice: It Feels So Good...
- Listen: Wale + Peter Bjorn and John
- Thom Yorke, Michael Stipe on Mulcahy Tribute
- Video: Wilco: "You Never Know" (Live on "Conan")
- R.I.P. Seeds Frontman Sky Saxon
Reviews
- Sunset Rubdown: Dragonslayer
- Gossip: Music For Men
- Spinnerette: Spinnerette
- Future of the Left: Travels With Myself and Another
- The Paper Chase: Someday This Could All Be Yours
Track Reviews
Features
News
- Unreleased Jeff Buckley Song in Tearjerker
- Pitchfork on ABC: Kasabian's West Ryder Pauper Lun
- Devendra Banhart Finishes New LP, Leaves XL
- Buy Billy Corgan Lunch!
- New Release: La Roux: La Roux
- Is This the Flaming Lips Album Cover?
- Pitchfork on ABC: God Help the Girl
- The Roots to Debut New Song on "Late Night"
- Chris Knox Leaves Hospital After Stroke
- Jim James to Release George Harrison Tribute
Reviews
- God Help the Girl: God Help the Girl
- Regina Spektor: Far
- Playboy Tre: Liquor Store Mascot
- Noisettes: Wild Young Hearts
- Larry Jon Wilson: Larry Jon Wilson
Track Reviews
- Air France: "GBG Belongs to Us" [ft. Roos]
- The Binary Marketing Show: "Shape of Your Head"
- The Radio Dept.: "David"
News
- Dirty Projectors in Auto Accident
- Common | Reverie Sound Revue | Octopus Project
- Nick Cave and Warren Ellis Score Sex Trade Doc
- Rhino Releases Factory Records Digital Box
- Jay Bennett's Death: Overdose
- Sunny Day Real Estate Reunite!
- Listen to Archived Primavera Sets on WFMU
- Echo Chamber: Dirty Projectors' Dave Longstreth
- Seniors Interview Fiery Furnaces, Bash Wilco
- Arctic Monkeys Unleash Album Art, Dates
Reviews
- Dinosaur Jr.: Farm
- Patterson Hood: Murdering Oscar (and Other Love Songs)
- Sharon Van Etten: Because I Was in Love
- Deer Tick: Born on Flag Day
- Sholi: Sholi
Track Reviews
Features
News
- Crystal Castles Tangle With Security at Sonar
- Rhino Releases Los Angeles Nuggets Box Set
- Echo Chamber: Death Cab's Chris Walla
- Watch Jack White's New Band Live Right Now!
- A Sunny Day in Glasgow Ready Sophomore LP
- T.V. Eye: June 22-28
- Video: Clipse [ft. Kanye]: "Kinda Like a Big Deal"
- Radiohead/Wilco/Marr Supergroup LP Details
- Wu-Tang Clan Brings Us Chamber Music
- TVOTR's Malone Signs to Anti- for Solo Project
Reviews
- Saint Etienne: Foxbase Alpha / Continental
- Finale: A Pipe Dream and a Promise
- Sir Richard Bishop: The Freak of Araby
- Psapp: The Camel's Back
- Speck Mountain: Some Sweet Relief
Track Reviews
Features
News
- Trent Reznor Logs Back On
- Radiohead's Kid A, Amnesiac, Thief Reissued
- Black Lips + King Khan + BBQ = Almighty Defenders
- Video: Sigur Rós Live on the Interface
- Premiere: Cymbals Eat Guitars: "Tunguska"
- Islands Announce Third Album
- Hear the New Bloc Party Single Here
- Georgia Theatre | Shunda K | Throw Me the Statue
- Clientele Announce New Album Details
- Pitchfork Music Festival Set Times Revealed
Reviews
- Little Boots: Hands
- DJ Quik / Kurupt: BlaQKout
- Black Meteoric Star: Black Meteoric Star
- Ada: Adaptations #1 Mixtape
- Pocahaunted: Passage
Track Reviews
TV
News
- Clark Sabine | Zero 7 | Wheedle's Groove
- Beck Posts First Record Club Cover Song
- Supergrass Dudes Start Band With Nigel Godrich
- Woods Tour With Dungen
- New Blur Music Possible
- Premiere: Polvo: "Beggar's Bowl"
- Hear the Very Best Song With Ezra Koenig
- Broken Social Scene (and Feist!) Play Surprise Gig
- Dead Body Found at Bonnaroo
- Air Announce New Album: Love 2