Like many before her, Sharon Van Etten came to New York City from New Jersey in order to make music. And despite her East Coast upbringing, Van Etten sings of Middle American—universal, even—themes, but she does so in her uniquely powerful voice. The talented singer-songwriter has put out three folkie albums, including this year’s acclaimed Tramp, which Rolling Stone says “plays like a female version of Beck’s Sea Change.” The album was a bit of an all-star affair, with appearances by the National’s Aaron and Bryce Dessner, Wye Oak’s Jenn Wasner and a host of others. And when Van Etten (above, doing “Give Out” for Minnesota Public Radio) plays Town Hall tomorrow night, she’ll be joined by Aaron Dessner and Wasner, plus Thurston Moore, John Moloney, the Antlers’ Peter Silberman and Megafaun’s Brad Cook.
It’s hard to pin down Ava Luna’s notable sound. Or as frontman Carlos Hernandez says, “We have a lot of synthesizers and vocal harmonies. I would call it kind of heavy and strange, but also very poppy.” Imagine well-crafted songs (thanks in part to Hernandez studying Music Composition at Columbia) that employ a heady mix of’60s doo-wop, ’70s R&B and a dash punk and avant-garde all topped off with a trio of women adding three-part harmonies and you’re starting to get the idea. The Brooklyn septet has been eagerly compared to Dirty Projectors, and the influential Seattle public-radio station KCRW has mentioned Midnight Vultures–era Beck. So there’s also that. As their excellent new album,Ice Level, proves, Ava Luna (above, playing “Past the Barbary” for Pink Couch Sessions) makes the kind of music that you can listen to over and over again and get something different each time, which in an era when music all too often sounds the same, is pretty damn cool. See them tomorrow night at Mercury Lounge.
