Tripwire photographer Sarahana has a great music blog, and one of the regular features is a series of mini musical documentaries she calls the Secret Garden. For this very special installment, Sarahana gave us the exclusive to her video of the angelic-voiced, rising folk artist Sharon Van Etten singing “Keep” from her upcoming album, Because I Was in Love
Words and video by Sarahana
When twenty-eight-year-old Sharon Van Etten sings, her voice feels like a timeless story you’d read from a musty book, colored yellow with age. In some way, this voice is emblematic of the ultimate form of feminine heroism because it attains its unbreakable might by confronting its deepest wounds and vulnerabilities; its strength is that it is unafraid of its weakness.
With this kind of prowess up her sleeve, Sharon has been steadily winning the attention of everyone’s who’s crossed her path. It still feels like she remains one of the most overlooked jewels of new music, but that should be expected to change soon with the proper release of her stunning debut, Because I Was in Love, out on May 26 through Language of Stone Records.
The recent release of a music video for “For You”, directed by the seasoned Michael Palmieri (Foo Fighters, The New Pornographers), and opening sets for prominent bands such as Beirut and Great Lake Swimmers have already earned Sharon new praises from tastemakers outside the comfort zone of Brooklyn, the musical savvy borough that has been a kind home to her since leaving New Jersey, where she’s originally from, and Tennessee, where she spent several years growing up.
Before she embarked on her European tour, we visited Sharon at her apartment in Bushwick, Brooklyn, where she performed “Keep”, taken from her upcoming album, Because I Was in Love.
June 1st, 2009 at 7:22 pm
Very lovely. I listen to Sharon anytime I really really need a destressor. She releases all tension. It’s wonderful.