By Adam Rogers
Sharon Van Etten – Remind Me Tomorrow
Jagjaguwar
Sharon Van Etten has been a busy human since the release of her critically acclaimed 2014 release, Are We There. With the birth of her first child, a move into acting as Rachel in the Netflix drama, The OA, an appearance in David Lynch’s reboot of Twin Peaks and scoring her first feature film, Strange Weather, it’s clear Van Etten’s sonic palette has expanded into new territory. And by goodness, it’s what makes Remind Me Tomorrow such a beautiful thing to behold.
You’d be forgiven in thinking that as the piano chords chime in on album opener, “I Told You Everything,” that you’re listening to the direct follow-up to Are We There. In discography terms it is, but the similarities are shattered when the electro beats of track two, “No One’s Easy To Love,” kick in.
The atmospheric and drony sounds she employs throughout the following eight tracks (fuelled by producer John Congleton) are far ranging and, at times, down right eerie. But there is always an upbeat feel to even the moodiest of tracks. “Memorial Day,” “Comeback Kid” and “Seventeen” shine bright like no other Van Etten tracks of days gone past. The whole record is absolutely mesmerizing.
Van Etten is a truly remarkable artist. 2019 hasn’t even really got going yet, but we clearly already have a contender for album of the year.