EVERY TIME THE SUN COMES UP

Sharon Van Etten's Are We There turns ten
this year and reasserts itself as a one of her
most powerful and timeless collections. It
is clear from the opening chords that we
are witnessing a new awareness, a sign of
Van Etten in full stride, writing, producing,
and performing from a place that 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. Amidst
all that brutal honesty, Van Etten finds
moments of levity, as she always does:
"Every Time the Sun Comes Up", now
pressed to 7" for the first time, started out
as a lark but lifts the album at its close,
completes the world she's let us into, and
resets us gently for whatever might follow.
It has, since then, become an indelible
staple of Van Etten's live shows. This new
7" edition features that live rendition
getting the studio recording treatment
fans have clamored for since it
materialized. And the b-side, a live
recording from the iconic Sydney Opera
House, proves the song's shapeshifting,
indelible magic.