New album: Are We There
Artist: Sharon Van Etten
Label: Jagjaguar
Rating: 4 stars out of 5
If you take her songs to heart, Sharon Van Etten should probably seek counseling.
Although Van Etten’s voice is as alluring as a cool glass of water on a July afternoon, there’s not much relief in the songs she writes. There’s enough loss, heartache and all-around gloom in her lyrics to make Robert Smith wince. Still, Van Etten’s delivery is so flawless she makes the doldrums sound inviting.
Peddling downtroddenness is nothing new in the world of songwriting, but being able to make it attractive is no small trick. Somewhere between the inventiveness of Tori Amos and the tunefulness of Fiona Apple, Van Etten’s music springs from a stoic center. The Daniel Lanois-esque funeral dirge of “Your Love Is Killing Me” should send people running for the exits, but the song’s spooky beauty warrants repeated listening.
Producer Stewart Lerman has expanded the sonic Van Etten’s sonic palette, creating dark and dusty sound beds that give the songs a greater emotional weight. “Tarifa” features an electric guitar filtered through a rotating Leslie amplifier, which provides a ghostly response to Van Etten’s poignant vocals.
Acting as a bit of light at the end of the tunnel, the hopeful album-closer “Every Time The Sun Comes Up” features an eccentric, almost Neko Case-like vocal from Van Etten. This tune may not be in contention to replace Pharrell William’s “Happy” as the feel good song of the millennium, but it is a decent reflection on acceptance.
“Are We There Yet” is a mature work, reflective work that has more of a connection to Carole King’s “Tapestry” than you might think. Van Etten is truly an artist to watch in the coming years.
Classic album: Ummagumma
Artist: Pink Floyd
Label: Harvest/Columbia
Rating: 3.5 stars out of 5
When Pink Floyd front man Syd Barrett’s mental state resulted in his dismissal from the band in 1968, the band found themselves on a slow boat to nowhere.
After recording “A Saucerful Of Secrets” (1968) and the soundtrack to the film “More” (1969) with new guitarist/vocalist David Gilmour, Pink Floyd decided to experiment with their second 1969 release, the double LP “Ummagumma.”
The first half of “Ummagumma” is a good (but not definitive) live recording consisting of “Astronomy Domine,” “Careful With That Axe, Eugene,” “Set The Controls For The Heart Of The Sun” and “A Saucerful Of Secrets.” The second half of the album was divided into four solo studio creations from each band member.
While it may have seemed odd to give each band member 15-minutes of LP time to do whatever they wanted, some of the results are quite interesting. Roger Waters’ Ron Geesin-influenced acapella tape collage “Several Small Species...” may be the most bizarre track in the Pink Floyd cannon. Waters’ other solo performance — the hazy acoustic “Grantchester Meadows” — features a one-minute intro of chirping birds and buzzing bugs.
David Gilmour’s “The Narrow Way, Parts 1-3” foreshadows the sonic route the band would take for the next five years. Hearing Gilmlour play guitar, drums and bass on his tracks proves that he — along with keyboardist Rick Wright — was as integral to the allure of Pink Floyd as were Roger Waters’ lyrics.
Wright — who penned the brilliant “Remember A Day” roughly two years earlier — stuck to keyboard instrumentals for his solo section, with “Sysyphus, Part 4” being the most engaging. Drummer Nick Mason’s nine-minute “The Grand Vizer’s Garden Party” wouldn’t be out of place on a Sun Ra album or on the “Apocalypse Now” soundtrack that would come a decade later.
Many of the solo sections would come to life when played by the entire band in concert, but “Ummagumma” is still an important album for Pink Floyd. It was released at a time when they were still underground enough to try something this ludicrous, and believe it or not there are many fans of the band who prefer this period over the post-”Dark Side Of The Moon” perfection.
If all you know about Pink Floyd are the handful of songs you’ve heard on the radio, “Ummagumma” will probably run you up a tree. Proceed with caution.
Jon Dawson’s album reviews appear every Thursday in The Free Press. Contact Jon at 252-559-1092 or jon.dawson@kinston.com. Purchase Jon’s books at www.jondawson.com.