Brooklyn-based singer-songwriter and bandleader Sharon Van Etten has released four full-length albums since 2009, progressing from sparse acoustic music to full-band arrangements; despite high points Tramp (2012) and Are We There (2014), I never quite fall fully for her albums. There is an aspect of her music that sometimes seems like I'm hearing the same song over and over. Her confessional songwriting is occasionally stunning, but the arrangements too often tread repetitive ground. I wasn't very excited for I Don't Want to Let You Down, her new 5-track EP, but I'm often interested when artists choose the short form as canonical statement (as opposed to a simple single with bonus tracks; those get lost in the discographical shuffle). Add to it that one of the record's five tracks is a live version of a Tramp outtake, and on first glance it can seem like a stopgap. I was thrilled to find that, for me, this is SVE's most playable record. I've played this EP over and over this month.   1

noyoucmon 17 Jul 2015

Shut me out just like a gun Then you run just like blood Sat me on just like a gun Then you run just like blood, Just like blood.   1

maryduff 15 Jun 2015

From the upcoming EP. Her voice does strange things to me :)

Olimite 9 May 2015