Sharon Van Etten - Tramp

Tramp is a ridiculously good album from Brooklyn’s Sharon Van Etten, that was released just this week. In a sense the album title should be swapped with her previous record, Epic, since this is not an austere collection of tunes but a rather soaring and complex masterpiece that maintains the emotional majesty that is her hallmark but adds new depth to the music itself. Produced by Aaron Dessner of the National (who, along with some of his bandmates and other luminaries such as Zach Condon, makes guest appearances too) this is a real step forward for Van Etten and is one of 2012’s leading albums to beat.