Sharon Van Etten - Remind Me Tomorrow: Review
Sharon Van Etten
is an American singer-songwriter that rose to prominence in 2012 with the release of her third studio album Tramp which featured production work from The National's Aaron Dessner and was recorded in his home studio in Brooklyn. The follow up to that album was 2014's Are We There a fantastically unique display of talent that earned her critical praise and a larger audience than ever before. Taking 4 years to follow-up this project left big expectations for her follow-up. This was only made more fervent by multiple singles which incorporated some unique and interesting sounds different from each other, and from what the singer-songwriter genre typically has to offer.
Review by Lav:
After I enjoyed Sharon Van Etten's last album 2014's Are We There and the roster of singles leading up to this long overdue follow-up impressed me I was excited for this project but not at all sure what to expect from such a unique and genre bending singer songwriter. So in a project like this making a solid first impression is pretty important and the Torres-esque ballad I Told You Everything that kicks the project off does a decent job of that. Its a slow developing ballad lyrically and instrumentally speaking and one where the payoff is almost worth it, but after enjoying the track through its first few minutes I'm content in saying it serves its purpose as an opening song. The next track No One's Easy To Love opens up with a much darker and more immediate sound, or at least it would make you think that from the way it opens up, but the instrumental stagnantly crawls through the next 4 and a half minutes mostly unchanged. And while she owns the sound during the verses the bridge and chorus certainly have solid performances channeling memories of Julia Holter, but sound completely out of place over this tune. Neither of these first two songs are misses but they aren't exactly hits either.
The next cut Memorial Day is a much more unique sounding ballad, its haunting and intimate with a sense that everything is just a few notes away from collapsing. The hazy haunted house keys and Sharon's haunting vocal delivery make this track an early highlight that envelopes you in its personality and then holds on tight through a dizzyingly great 4 and a half minutes.
This track is followed by the bombastic and overblown Comeback Kid a song that rides a bouncy drum beat and lets Sharon take center stage with her confident vocals. Its a decent track but brings up the sense that this is a sound a lot of artists are exploring much more confidently in modern indie and singer songwriter music and even though the song is one of the albums louder cuts it ends up slipping out of memory pretty quickly. The next track is the opposite approach with the same result. A much more vibe oriented instrumental is the palette for Sharon to wander blissfully through Jupiter 4 a solid song but ultimately a forgettable one.
Next up is Seventeen the ballad that drew in the hearts of indie music fans from all over as a piece of the lead up to this release. The song is a steady and driving build pulling as much from heartland rock and indie balladry that allows Sharon to shine in her singer-songwriter roll sounding like a female Brandon Flowers of The Killers. When the track explodes into its dramatic conclusion she is well up for the role and commands the stage for one of the brightest and best spots on the entire album. After this track which serves as the albums halfway point we slide back into the routine of the opening half.
We're lead into Malibu the surprisingly sleep ballad, without any kind of change in instrumental density Sharon's pretty but ultimately shallow vocal performance becomes forgettable, key word there. Thankfully this slides into the very unique sounding You Shadow, which has more in common with trendy R&B music than most indie tunes. Sharon has a noticeable swagger and brings multiple catchy refrains throughout the track which turns its brief 3 minutes into a memorable moment and a very solid track. This transitions into Hands, yet ANOTHER overblown and bombastic take on a singer-songwriter ballad and one that may be more interesting earlier in the album but has worn very thin by this point and is just a blip on our trip to the albums finals moments.
The final moments of the album are popularized by the intimate and low key Stay. It brings the album to a solid close with a track that doesn't pretend to be anything it isn't. A personal moment sung briskly from the heart of an artist with a knack for songs just like this one. It is a great final moment but one that obviously makes me wish for more songs like it throughout the album.
In closing there really aren't any bad songs to be found here but more than half the album is made up of mostly or completely forgettable songs. For a follow-up that has taken so long from an artist with such a wide range of talents it seemingly begs to be more diverse, interesting and outspoken. 6/10
Review by Lav:
After I enjoyed Sharon Van Etten's last album 2014's Are We There and the roster of singles leading up to this long overdue follow-up impressed me I was excited for this project but not at all sure what to expect from such a unique and genre bending singer songwriter. So in a project like this making a solid first impression is pretty important and the Torres-esque ballad I Told You Everything that kicks the project off does a decent job of that. Its a slow developing ballad lyrically and instrumentally speaking and one where the payoff is almost worth it, but after enjoying the track through its first few minutes I'm content in saying it serves its purpose as an opening song. The next track No One's Easy To Love opens up with a much darker and more immediate sound, or at least it would make you think that from the way it opens up, but the instrumental stagnantly crawls through the next 4 and a half minutes mostly unchanged. And while she owns the sound during the verses the bridge and chorus certainly have solid performances channeling memories of Julia Holter, but sound completely out of place over this tune. Neither of these first two songs are misses but they aren't exactly hits either.
The next cut Memorial Day is a much more unique sounding ballad, its haunting and intimate with a sense that everything is just a few notes away from collapsing. The hazy haunted house keys and Sharon's haunting vocal delivery make this track an early highlight that envelopes you in its personality and then holds on tight through a dizzyingly great 4 and a half minutes.
This track is followed by the bombastic and overblown Comeback Kid a song that rides a bouncy drum beat and lets Sharon take center stage with her confident vocals. Its a decent track but brings up the sense that this is a sound a lot of artists are exploring much more confidently in modern indie and singer songwriter music and even though the song is one of the albums louder cuts it ends up slipping out of memory pretty quickly. The next track is the opposite approach with the same result. A much more vibe oriented instrumental is the palette for Sharon to wander blissfully through Jupiter 4 a solid song but ultimately a forgettable one.
Next up is Seventeen the ballad that drew in the hearts of indie music fans from all over as a piece of the lead up to this release. The song is a steady and driving build pulling as much from heartland rock and indie balladry that allows Sharon to shine in her singer-songwriter roll sounding like a female Brandon Flowers of The Killers. When the track explodes into its dramatic conclusion she is well up for the role and commands the stage for one of the brightest and best spots on the entire album. After this track which serves as the albums halfway point we slide back into the routine of the opening half.
We're lead into Malibu the surprisingly sleep ballad, without any kind of change in instrumental density Sharon's pretty but ultimately shallow vocal performance becomes forgettable, key word there. Thankfully this slides into the very unique sounding You Shadow, which has more in common with trendy R&B music than most indie tunes. Sharon has a noticeable swagger and brings multiple catchy refrains throughout the track which turns its brief 3 minutes into a memorable moment and a very solid track. This transitions into Hands, yet ANOTHER overblown and bombastic take on a singer-songwriter ballad and one that may be more interesting earlier in the album but has worn very thin by this point and is just a blip on our trip to the albums finals moments.
The final moments of the album are popularized by the intimate and low key Stay. It brings the album to a solid close with a track that doesn't pretend to be anything it isn't. A personal moment sung briskly from the heart of an artist with a knack for songs just like this one. It is a great final moment but one that obviously makes me wish for more songs like it throughout the album.
In closing there really aren't any bad songs to be found here but more than half the album is made up of mostly or completely forgettable songs. For a follow-up that has taken so long from an artist with such a wide range of talents it seemingly begs to be more diverse, interesting and outspoken. 6/10
