Sharon Van Etten's sophomore album epic turned 10 in September, and to celebrate, she's announced a new double LP, epic Ten (preorder it here). The first disc is the original album, and the second a collection of covers of its songs by artists she admires. It's an exciting list, including Fiona Apple, Courtney Barnett and Vagabon, Lucinda Williams, Big Red Machine (Aaron Dessner and Justin Vernon), Shamir, IDLES, and St. Panther. See the tracklisting below.
"epic represents a crossroads for me as an artist," Sharon says. "Going from intern to artist at Ba Da Bing, from solo folk singer to playing with a band for the first time and beginning to play shows on tour where people showed up. I am in awe of the artists who wanted to participate in celebrating my anniversary and reissue, from young inspiring musicians, to artists who took me under their wing, who I met on tour, and to artists I’ve looked up to since I was a teenager. Each one of these artists continue to influence my writing and provide a sense of camaraderie during this new era of sharing music."
She's shared the first cover from the collection, Big Red Machine's take on "A Crime," which is rich with snarling guitars and Justin Vernon's vocals. Hear it below.
"Sharon is one of my favorite songwriters and I've been very lucky to get to collaborate with her many times over the years," Aaron Dessner says. "Recording ‘A Crime’ with Justin, more than 10 years after we covered ‘Love More’ at Music Now with my brother Bryce - and thinking about all our shared memories - it felt like coming full circle. It's an honor to be able to pay tribute to Sharon and her incredible songs. We felt like the door should be about to fall off the hinges of this version and I think it sounds like that."
Sharon will also stream virtual concert for epic Ten, with airtimes on April 16 and 17. She and her band will perform epic in full from Zebulon in LA, and the stream will also feature a short documentary about the making of the album, and Zebulon's significance for Sharon and other musicians. Tickets are on sale now, and will benefit Zebulon.
EPIC TEN TRACKLIST
1. "A Crime" - Big Red Machine
2. "Peace Signs" - IDLES
3. "Save Yourself" - Lucinda Williams
4. "DsharpG" - Shamir
5. "Don't Do It" - Courtney Barnett (ft. Vagabon)
6. "One Day" - St. Panther
7. "Love More" - Fiona Apple
