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Boasting a mere seven songs, Brooklyn-based singer/songwriter Sharon Van Etten's sophomore effort hardly lives up to the lofty promise of its name, but where Epic fails to deliver in size, it more than makes up for in sound.
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Dec 20, 2010It's nice to hear a female artist singing so much from the belly, even, at times, with a stirring kind of anger – as in the rollicking Peace Signs.
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Dec 21, 2010The record builds a whole new feeling of intimacy, and it's a ravishing enough record to, in its final breaths, break free of its own confines.
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Tipping just over the 30-minute mark, Epic is a beautifully formed, sonically engaging work.
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Dec 23, 2010Epic pulls from more corners. The voice at the center isn't arresting, exactly, but in the end that's unimportant. You'll want to stay.
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MojoDec 20, 2010From One Day's po-sweet surprise to DsharpG's shivery vocal/harmonium drones, each gear shift is proof of a compelling new voice. [Dec 2010, p.100]
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Dec 21, 2010The songs are still simple, but they're delivered with a sophistication only hinted at on her debut.
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As Epic progresses, her vocals couple with an array of sonics and styles (see: the pedal-steel country saunter of "Save Yourself", the electric punch of "Peace Sign"), though it's the slower, more atmospheric numbers that remain the album's most arresting.
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Because I Was In Love was a heartfelt, strong introduction to a powerful new voice, but Epic is a knockout front to back, and clear cut evidence that we have a powerful and lasting voice on our hands.
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As an album, Epic is disjointed in places, but as a collection of songs it's strong enough.
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On Epic, she's grown as brassy as vintage Lucinda Williams while still drowning in the intimate bite of street noise, the confessional feel of studio chatter, and the postmodern swirl of dream-pop slurry.
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Dec 21, 2010Epic might be a transitional work, but it finds Van Etten moving toward a strong, exciting sound.
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Like Jenn Wasner of Wye Oak or her fellow Brooklynite Holly Miranda, Ms. Van Etten has an incandescent, moaning alto that can be fragile or vengeful.
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Under The RadarOct 26, 2010It's a strong, reassuring voice, one that suggests she's firmly in control, even when she sings about times when she wasn't. [Fall 2010, p.65]
Awards & Rankings
User score distribution:
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Positive: 17 out of 18
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Mixed: 0 out of 18
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Negative: 1 out of 18
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Apr 16, 2011
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May 10, 2022Very Good! The only single thing that's lacking here is more music! It's too short, but, as almost everything Van Etten touches, it's true art.
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Feb 4, 2019