The moment a song is born, the world is different. It’s now a part of our lives. We sing it in the shower. We dance to it at our wedding. We get pumped with it. We break up to it. We memorize it. We try to forget it. We rediscover it. This month, I’m joining Arron Wright’s Twitter music challenge: ##Popiversary2. Because why the hell not. Songs deserve their own anniversaries, too.
Year: 2022
We’ve Been Going About This All Wrong is the first album from Sharon Van Etten that I’ve listened to repeatedly from beginning to end. Van Etten’s trademark near-catatonic vocals are elevated on her newest album. Much more ethereal. Much more impactful. Each song takes my breath away. The track sequence plays a big role in this. Ebbs and flows built to lash out to and get lost in. “Darkness Fades” ushers us in, beckoning us to fall in line. Or just get out.
The opening guitar strums are so unassuming and so forgetful. Honestly, they require a bit of patience to get through. But the waiting is paid off tremendously at the 1:22 mark. From there, the immense instrumental layering of synth parts, guitar effects and ominous drum beats jostle you into a state of liberation. You can’t slow down this momentum or counter this force. After over a hundred listens, it still catches me off guard as I wait with bated breath for what’s next.
“I'M LOOKING AT OUR GRASS. I'M STRUGGLING FOR WORDS. I'M DREAMING OF A PLACE. I HELD CLOSE IN A STATE. DARKNESS FADES.”