Sharon Van Etten & The Attachment Theory by Sharon Van Etten

Revisionist history tells me I’ve been a fan of everything Sharon van Etten has done since she started releasing music back in 2009. The reality is, I completely missed her first two albums (but have since gone back and now love them), and I didn’t really start loving her work until I saw her at SXSW twice in 2012. Since then, her work has been a staple on the Top 31 ( #13 in 2012, #4 in 2014, #5 in 2019, and #6 in 2022) with good reason.

Her latest album, Sharon van Etten & the Attachment Theory, shows her ability to continue to adapt and shift for the better, including a full band who shared in the writing and production of the album with van Etten. With the Attachment Theory (Jorge Balbi on drums, Devra Hoff on bass and backing vocals, Teeny Lieberson on keyboards and backing vocals), van Etten proves she can collaborate with others and still create an unmistakable Sharon van Etten album. You could blend the songs from this album with her last two and you’d have no way to truly tell the difference.

This is great for the band, and great for us: it takes some of the burden of writing off of van Etten, and opens the door to greater longevity as an artist and now band. Her sultry voice is still ever-present, the songs still written from her unique perspective. “Afterlife” (featured above), is a gorgeous song about sticking by someone’s side, co-dependency in its best light. “Southern Life (What It Must Be Like)” evokes 90s-era Sky Cries Mary (psych-rock band from Seattle who rose to prominence in the heart of grunge but without the grunge sound) with its dissonant harmonies and drone-like melody. “Idiot Box” is a rocking classic van Etten tune, pushing against the screen-based lives we lead. Producer Daniel Knowles gets a co-writing credit on “I Can’t Imagine (Why You Feel This Way),” my second favorite song from the album. I can still picture van Etten’s groove on stage when singing this song, Hoff’s driving disco baseline making her sway left and right to the groove.

I recommend checking out their KEXP Performance from May, you’ll get a front-row seat to the band and what they’re capable of. Stripped down, with added piano, van Etten’s voice rings true and makes it impossible to look away.

Few artists have been as consistently good as Sharon van Etten. With the new Attachment Theory behind here, there’s renewed energy and excitement about where they’ll go next. I hope the band sticks around, and they continue to explore the possibilities together with van Etten.

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Waterslide, Diving Board, Ladder To the Sky by Porridge Radio

When I moved to Seattle in 1997, I was introduced to a a few things in quick succession that opened my eyes to the world of music. First came “public radio:” kexp.org. Prior to then, I had no idea there could be radio without commercials screaming at you. Next came “club shows.” I’d been to a few concerts, some even in smaller venues (Tori Amos in the 250 person Sooner Theatre in 1992 being my first ever concert), but the idea that a venue existed where different bands performed multiple times a week was entirely foreign to me prior to moving to Seattle. And finally, “local music.” Of course I knew a band or two locally in Oklahoma, but the idea that a city could sustain multiple bands playing multiple venues around town regularly and only rarely escape the city limits was beyond my comprehension.

It was there, in those formative, new-to-Seattle days that my love of indie rock solidified. Sky Cries Mary, Death Cab for Cutie, Built to Spill, Damien Jurado, Modest Mouse — these bands were all essentially in my back yard, any one of them playing a show nearby on any given weekend, along with countless other, less well-known but still equally as-good bands.

Into this miasma of fuzz is where my hearing-deprived brain wants to throw the band who occupies the #12 spot on the 2022 Top 31, despite the band being from nowhere near Seattle, and with over 20 years separating me from those formative days of my youth. Porridge Radio, from Brighton, England, are a throwback to an era not too far away in spirit, but far enough away to be able to legally drink in the US.

Led by the dynamic singer / songwriter / lead guitarist Dana Margolin, Porridge Radio brings a heavy amount of spite and angst to their songs that feels urgent and unbridled. Behind her is Georgie Stott on keyboards, Maddie Ryall on bass, and drummer Sam Yardley. Waterslide, Diving Board, Ladder To the Sky is the band’s third LP since forming in 2015. Their last album, the critically acclaimed Every Bad, came out March 13, 2020, exactly six days before I packed up my desk and told my boss “I have to worry about my family, I’m going to work from home for the next couple weeks.” According to Pitchfork, Margolin had already started writing “Back to the Radio,” featured in the video above, when Every Bad came out.

Go ahead and hit play on the video above. It has all the things I love about indie rock – fuzzed out, strong guitars; heavy drums that start out low and build; and a dynamic, charismatic hero/heroin at the fore, giving it their all. Multiple songs on the album convey this same feeling. Together, the album is a real triumph. I haven’t yet heard Every Bad, but a few months ago I did get to see Porridge Radio live on an actual stage. Barboza was packed, with its low ceiling and narrow build, and Margolin filled it out wonderfully. I can’t wait to experience it again. Prepare yourself as well – listen to the album, and then go with me the next time they come through town.

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13. I Walked with You a Ways by Plains
14. The Last Goodbye by Odesza
15. A Light for Attracting Attention by The Smile
16. Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers by Kendrick Lamar
17. Inside Problems by Andrew Bird
18. Laurel Hell by Mitski
19. Full Moon Project by Phosphorescent
20. Skinty Fia by Fontaines D.C.
21. I Love You Jennifer B by Jockstrap
22. Too Much to Ask by Cheekface
23. Dripfield by Goose
24. Dragon New Warm Mountain I Believe In You by Big Thief
25. And In The Darkness, Hearts Aglow by Weyes Blood
26. NOT TiGHT by DOMi & JD BECK
27. Preacher’s Daughter by Ethel Cain
28. Live at KEXP, vol. 10 by Various Artists
29. All You Need Is Time by Daisy the Great
30. Cool It Down by Yeah Yeah Yeahs
31. CAPRISONGS by FKA twigs

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#9 on the 2025 Bacon Top 31 — Sharon Van Etten

#12 on the 2022 Bacon Top 31 — Porridge Radio