I really enjoy it when I don my critic's suit (which is a very bland suit: taupe maybe, or herringbone print), pass harsh judgement on an artist and then stumble on some artifact that proves my initial snubbing wrong.
Case in point: Brooklyn-based Sharon Van Etten. I've spent some time with her timid debut, Because I Was In Love, without making any memories, so I've taken to ignoring her hyperlinked name as it appears sporadically in the blogosphere. And then, while participating in a routine combing through La Blogotheque's freakishly-beautiful Take Away Shows, I took a chance and clicked on Van Etten's 18-minute session and goddammit, I TAKE IT ALL BACK.
Here's the second half of the segment. If you happen to be cooking, I suggest you turn off the stove for the duration of the video, for fire safety purposes. I wish someone had told me that.
You can read more and watch Part 1 here, and see Ms. Van Etten play at the Doug Fir on November 12th with Junip. Also, her excellent new record, epic, is up for first listens on NPR's site, and on the shelves at the record store.