Sharon Van Etten & The Attachment Theory. Sharon Van Etten & The Attachment Theory

Sharon van Etten has released several records over the past years and some of them can be found on this blog since 2014, but never as Sharon Van Etten & The Attachment Theory. The story behind this is that this is a band album and not a record by Sharon van Etten with musicians in the studio. Just like the almost Cubist artwork shows. This is a band photo.

This certainly led to another kind of record. Sharon Van Etten & The Attachment Theory is an album that is all over the place. From atmospheric, slow pieces like 'Fading Beauty' to several electronic tracks'. That does make listening to the album an effort. Not because of a lack of quality but due to all the leaps the listener has to take to keep up with the direction of the album. There were no limitations to where the band could go. And did the four of them use that allowed freedom!, as I can imagine it liberated Van Etten's from her chains as well.

Reading the bio, the first song came together rather spontaneously when rehearsing for the previous tour supporting the 'We’ve Been Going About This All Wrong' album. The band started jamming on a new idea and a new song was born, 'Southern Life (What It Must Be Like)'.

The album starts with a contradiction. 'Live Forever' and 'Afterlife' are the titles of the first two songs. The question "Who wants to live forever?" does provide some context, unless the answer is yes, of course. Then there's no afterlife. If no, we all have to wait and see, as no one came back to inform us. At least not in my case. I'm not taking changes and enjoy my self in the here and now.

In the past, I've made a comment that I found there was not enough emotion put into one of Sharon Van Etten's albums. It led to an angry response from a reader. To avoid any misunderstanding, Sharon goes all out in some of the songs on her new album, starting with the opening song. 'Live Forever' at some point is in fear of jumping out of my speakers into the great unknown.

Musically, the album on the one hand sounds modern with all the synths going on in there but on the other also sounds very 80s. The Human League at the time of 'Don't You Want Me' or 'Open Your Heart' comes to mind, were it not that Van Etten sings with a punky attitude in 'Idiot Box' and guitars are present. This combination works very well and is one of the highlights of the album. If this is what the band collaboration brings, bring me some second helpings and desert later please.

The use of synths against different backgrounds is what really stands out on Sharon Van Etten & The Attachment Theory. They are everywhere on the album, either as the background producing atmospheric swaths of sounds or as the lead instrument. They determine are large part of the atmosphere of the album. In general it is extremely positive, in a few songs they tend to be a bit too much (of a good thing). Overall, I have to say I can very well live with the mood presented.

Although I have to admit not to be an in-depth connaisseur of Sharon van Etten's oeuvre, I have heard enough to be pleasantly surprised. Take almost punkrocker 'Indio'. It makes for very varied and pleasant listening.

Wout de Natris - van der Borght

 

You can buy or order Sharon Van Etten & The Attachment Theory here:

https://sharonvanetten.bandcamp.com/album/sharon-van-etten-the-attachment-theory