Sharon Van Etten - Are We There (10 Year Anniversary Edition)

Tracklisting
1. "Afraid of Nothing" 
2. "Taking Chances" 
3. "Your Love Is Killing Me" 
4. "Our Love" 
5. "Tarifa" 
6. "I Love You But I'm Lost" 
7. "You Know Me Well" &
8. "Break Me" 
9. "Nothing Will Change" 
10. "I Know" 
11. "Every Time the Sun Comes Up" 

 For all the attention that was paid to her 2012 breakthrough album, ‘Tramp’,Sharon Van Etten returned to the studio ready and eager to turn anothercorner, delve deeper, and write with more honesty and vulnerability thanever. It’s a unique power of Van Etten’s; she creates a bond with the listenerthat few contemporary musicians can match. The result of that effort was‘Are We There’, a self-produced album of exceptional intimacy, sublimegenerosity and immense breadth.

 ‘Are We There’ turns ten this year and reasserts itself as one of her mostpowerful and timeless collections. It is clear from the opening chords in thefirst song, ‘Afraid of Nothing’, that we are witnessing a new awareness, asign of Van Etten in full stride, writing, producing and performing from a placethat seems almost mythical, were it not so touchable and real. Always direct,and never shying away even from the most personally painful narratives,many of the songs deal with seemingly impossible decisions, anticipation,and then resolution. She sings of the nature of desire, memory, of being lost,emptiness, of promises and loyalty, fear and change, of healing and the trueself, violence and sanctuary, waiting, of silence.

 Amidst all that truly brutal honestly, Van Etten finds moments of levity, as shealways does. ‘Every Time the Sun Comes Up’ started out as a lark but liftsthe album at its close, completes the world she’s let us into, and resets usgently for whatever might follow. It has, since then, become an indeliblestaple of Van Etten’s live shows.

 It’s enough to live your music without taking on the role of producer as well,but Van Etten knew it was time to make a record entirely on her terms. At thesame time, Van Etten did recognize this didn’t mean having to go it alone,and she assembled a beloved, now-celebrated community to bring her visionto life. To record, Van Etten found a kindred spirit in veteran music producerStewart Lerman. Originally working together on ‘Boardwalk Empire’, theygently moved into new roles, rallying around the idea of making a recordtogether in Lerman’s studio in New Jersey. Lerman’s expertise gave VanEtten the freedom to make ‘Are We There’ the way she imagined.

 Van Etten also enlisted the individual talents of her band, consisting ofHeather Woods Broderick, Doug Keith and Zeke Hutchins, and brought infriends Dave Hartley and Adam Granduciel from The War on Drugs,Jonathan Meiberg (Shearwater), Jana Hunter (Lower Dens), Peter Broderick,Mackenzie Scott (Torres), Stuart Bogie, Jacob C. Morris and Mickey Freeze.The incomparable Richard Swift brought it all home, working with Van Ettenon the final mix.

 The artist who speaks in such a voice is urging us to do something, to takehold and to go deeper. Living in this way, the questions of life remain alive,as close and steady as breathing. Many of the ballads of old are as dark aspitch, and people for whom the issues of life and death were as vivid asflame wrote them. You could turn off the electricity, remove all theinstruments and Sharon’s voice and words would remain, as powerful todayas ten years ago, and they’re sure to endure for years to come.