East Coaster Sharon Van Etten is no stranger to Madison, having played shows in town less than a year ago. Those who’ve seen her live may have fallen in love with her folksy, non-presumptuous vocals, but her latest album, Tramp, brings a diverse array of sounds. The songs range from the expected – reminiscent of Neko Case or The Mamas and the Papas – to the wonderfully surprising with R.E.M-esque guitar riffs on “Warsaw” and similar alt-rock drums in the intro of “Magic Chords.”
Since 2010’s Epic, it was only a matter of time before Van Etten’s music made another record store appearance. Although only available for a non-downloadable, online listening experience until Feb. 7, Tramp is sure to garner positive responses from many and become an album listened to ad infinitum for select few others.
The first three tracks happen to be the most listenable on the album: “Warsaw,” “Give Out” and “Serpents.” As already mentioned, Van Etten is definitely folk – but more liberally so, and with a modern sensibility that is probably what has made her music more accessible over the years to a larger audience. That said, it is surprising she is still not a household name.
“Warsaw” is incidentally not about the capital of Poland, at least as far as the lyrics reveal. But some elements of the musical composition do use a level of innovation in such a way that one could find a parallel to the WWII-era destruction and later rebuilding of the city.
In “Serpents,” she chooses more visual imagery: When Van Etten sings “Tell me it’s time/ serpents in my mind/ looking for your crimes,” her message to an unknown subject, of her confusion and obsession, becomes almost biblical. She then uses parallel syntax to emphasize the later line, “trying to forgive your crimes.”
As is the style of Van Etten, she utilizes the contributions of other musicians, such as Beirut’s Zach Condon, to achieve certain sounds on Tramp. With Condon serenading in the background, Van Etten gives a solid vocal performance in “Give Out,” as she builds up to the quasi-chorus: “I’m biting my lip as goblins are speaking to me/ I loosen my grip from my palm, put it on your knee/ and by the way I’ll say you’re the reason I’ll move to the city/ you’ll move to me.”
This verse highlights the attention-grabbing lyrics that set the album apart. “Give Out” will soothe and entertain until the very end, where she repeats, relenting as the song fades, “It might be I always give out.”
Van Etten is on the indie record label Jagjaguwar, along with artists like Bon Iver and Peter Wolf Crier. Her name should be expected to soar to the same heights in this genre as those before her, especially with this release. A few selections on the album have their shortcomings, though.
“In Line” starts out with a powerful, harrowing drumbeat – Karen O or Florence and the Machine listeners have heard it before. It’s as if the drum became an inconsequential object, something that just happened to be there when the artist felt the need to hit something, a musical response to the pulsing of heart.
Although many comparable musicians have already been mentioned, this song is also the most Neko Case-like of the album because of layered cries mixed into Sharon’s lead vocals – and the down-tempo, grungy urbanity of her words. The one bad thing here is it fails to build up to a satisfying culmination. This problem is eerily similar to the disappointing drawbacks of “All I Can,” which was stunningly performed at this summer’s Bonnaroo music festival but falls flat on the album’s recording.
While Sharon Van Etten needs to work on bringing a consistent energy, her latest recorded work, Tramp, is an undeniable success.
4 out of 5 stars
