Sharon Van Etten - Remind Me Tomorrow (Album Review)
Working with John Congleton as a producer has definitely opened the door to make some different and more diverse choices in terms of the sounds on this album, with a shift towards more pianos and synthesizers that provide an unquestionably more dark atmosphere with some deep bass and experimental textures in the synths giving lots of these songs an edge that focuses on really building tension on these songs with instrumentation slightly more sparse so that the production can further highlight the spacious soundscapes created with emphasis on suspense over bombast, a move that pays off for more intricate sounding melodies that only enhance the brilliant, moody vibes.
Her usually prominent and leading guitars are pushed to the background or removed altogether on lots of the songs, but this is a move that is well backed up by just how fantastically ominous they sound when present, particularly when paired with the harsh, trudging drum beats and haunting, deep basslines. "Jupiter 4" has to be one of the best examples of this and although it's perhaps the most repetitive song the immense and tense power around the song creates such a vast impression of uncertainty and possibility, perfectly matching the more space based theme.
Doubtlessly, even the most poppy single here retains this sense and boasts some of the most creative use of distorted guitars, "Seventeen" being an amazing and surprisingly representative entry point to this album for anyone wanting to give it a listen. I am astounded by how effortlessly Sharon delivers the chorus and hooks here, regardless of their relative simplicity in contrast to the rest of the album. Her vocals are obviously a huge point of attraction, her voice carrying and owning every song and never being overshadowed with the amazing beats and instrumentals; Sharon sings each lyric with the same passion it is impossible to think of a single moment where her dynamics and delivery aren't intriguing, even on a song like "Your Shadow" in which her style changes to something more subdued in the verses and something more lingering in the chorus to match the sinister music, each complimenting the other.
The song "Hands" is probably the most like her previous work with a very bombastic feel and chaotic, full sound especially in the climaxes of the song. It's also one of the most experimental, with some odd beats especially in the verses that offer a direct and juxtaposed change between the parts of the song but that always build to the huge crescendo of the chorus. The effect is a heavier song that excellently demonstrates how experimentation in rock can be subtle but have a massive payoff in a way that reminds me a little of The Voidz's single "Pyramid Of Bones" from last year, another truly phenomenal experimental rock song.
"Memorial Day" is a standout to me and, directly in contrast to "Hands", is the least like her previous work, focusing almost exclusively the one looping beat, occasionally adding in extra drive from more percussion and some synth sparkles here and there; I imagine that this all sounds like it'd be a rather dull song but for me that isn't the case, I think the stuttering drums and lead synth are complimented enough by the additional instrumentation and Sharon's voice guiding the song to progress into a more accomplishing song, particularly with its reverb-drowned production that gives a truly haunting feeling when listening.
"Remind Me Tomorrow" is a very personal album that Sharon Van Etten manages to twist into a beautiful piece of artwork that sounds incredibly important, helped through its profound use of spacing and layering to create some of the most awe-inspiring and grandiose atmospheres that utilise simple beats, retro synthesizers with some unusual and creative production that all build together to make for an often forlorn but always hopeful album, something I'm more than happy to listen to over and over again. It's an album that has its emotional and musical highs and lows with some massive crescendos and impressive, plodding rhythms as well as some awesome vocals from Sharon throughout. This is a brilliant album, an early accomplishment for 2019 I have been very pleasantly surprised by - this is no ordinary indie rock album, it's so much more.
Overall, "Remind Me Tomorrow" gets a strong 8.5 out of 10 from me, this album gives you the space if you give it some time...
Best Songs:
No One's Easy To Love, Comeback Kid, Jupiter 4, Seventeen, Hands, Stay
Worst Song/s:
Malibu
Sharon Van Etten
"Remind Me Tomorrow"
18/01/2019
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