During a recent stop in Charlottesville to perform for a packed house at the Jefferson Theater, Sharon Van Etten joined WNRN in studio to play guest DJ. She shared 4 songs that inspired the sound and style of new album We’ve Been Going About This All Wrong and chatted in depth with Amber about its making. Scroll down to read her thoughts on each song and stream the full interview to find out which cinematic classic inspired the new album’s name (hint: it involves Babe Ruth, a giant dog, and s’mores) and more about the album which gets its full release on Friday May 6th via Jagjaguwar.

         1. Cocteau Twins “Cherry-Coloured Funk”

“…this was a song that I referenced for the band when we were starting to go over influences of what I thought the instrumentation and vibe was going to be. I didn’t want to exactly rip from them, but I wanted to give permission for my bandmates, Charlie in particular, who was playing guitar on a certain song on the record, that this is how I want it to feel, so however you interpret that. And the ethereal vocals, she has such a beautiful range, and it’s like dark but uplifting, but even though it’s slow-pulsing you feel it escalating. It’s a beautiful song.”

         2. Scott Walker “Duchess”

“I chose “Duchess” by Scott Walker because his melodies are so beautiful and they’re very classic. And his voice can change from iteration with his other projects, but there’s something very timeless about his storytelling, and he kind of sings in this operatic way sometimes, that can walk a line. But I connect with it as a singer, I feel like he’s a singer’s artist in the way that I want to sing along with him and I find it very cathartic to find those melodies or harmonies depending on how I’m singing along with him. I just like those classic arrangements and the timeless feeling of his voice.”

         3. Joy Division “Atmosphere”

“I remember describing to my drummer Jorge Balbi, my Peruvian drummer Jorge, that I wanted a lot of space in the drums, that it didn’t have to be a constant beat, and that I wanted him to just feel free in the way he played and not feel confined by a beat. Because this one song is very intentional in its space before it develops into the driving part of the song. And he connected with it immediately, and a lot of the scapes on the record are drones, synth meets strings, and mallets and air, and allowing those moments to breathe before the other instrumentation comes in. So this song was an example of what I was trying to achieve.

         4. The Cure “Plainsong”

“This one is for my bass player, Devin Hoff, he’s probably the biggest Cure fan I know, and I chose this one because, similar to the Joy Division track, what I’m learning how to do is let my band create the atmosphere for me, to be able to form in. And I wrote a lot of these songs without them, before I asked them to lay down tracks and to help me flesh them out. And so finally being in a room with them again and working on these new songs, I feel like they’re giving me permission to step back for a minute and allow them to create the space for me to perform in, as opposed to them performing on top of me. It’s learning how to perform together again and lean into each other, and again own those spaces. I sing a lot, like the joke is that I have a lot of lyrics, I have a lot of words, and my friend Ben Goldberg from Bada Bing Records who put out some of my earlier work, always said ‘Well, you just have so much to say. That’s why your lyrics are so long.’ But I’m learning to try to say less and also to have moments of just music so that the listener can take a moment to reflect on all the things that I’ve said, but also to hear the layers of what’s actually happening.

In Studio Sessions took many different forms for WNRN in 2021. From Manchester Orchestra performing live from home in Atlanta to Illiterate Light and Devon Gilfillian uniting in our studios to perform “Freedom” while en route to early tour stops, we learned to expect and even embrace the unexpected. When Shakey Graves made a last minute decision to debut two unreleased songs, we were ready (thanks to the quick thinking and flexible folks at In Your Ear!). When Japanese Breakfast made their first in studio appearance since the release of smash album Jubilee, we were ready. When timing and circumstance allowed us to invite members to join us for a memorable session with Leftover Salmon or to welcome back a holiday tradition in our Commonwealth showcase, we were ready. Enjoy ten of our favorite performances in the playlist below and visit our Live Sessions page on NPR Music to watch more! 

Japanese Breakfast – “Be Sweet”  In her first in studio performance since the release of Jubilee, Michelle Zauner and company delivered an incredible 4-song set for 30 lucky WNRN members.

Matthew E. White – “Judy” WNRN visited Matthew E. White at his Spacebomb studio in Richmond, with a killer backing band White played songs from new album K Bay and went deep with NRN’s Desiré Moses.

Vivian Leva & Riley Calcagno – “Will You” Incredibly we were able to welcome back our Commonwealth Holiday Showcase this year and Lexington, VA native Viviain Leva and Riley Calcagno showed us why they are rapidly making a name for themselves on the roots circuit with this sizzling performance.

Shakey Graves – “Evergreen” Shakey Graves debuted a pair of new songs in a session that almost didn’t happen. Tip of the hat to our friends at In Your Ear for capturing this stellar snapshot of a song being born.

Deau Eyes – “Some Do” Deau Eyes first caught our ear with this song and it’s easy to see why we fell in love with this performance captured during our Commonwealth Holiday Showcase in Richmond. Ali Thibodeaux and crew are poised for the big time.

Illiterate Light – “Freedom” Fortuitous meetings like this didn’t used to be rare. When two of our favorites happened to be passing through Charlottesville we were determined to get them together to play this song. Thanks to Kai Crowe-Getty for capturing this on video.

Manchester Orchestra – “Telepath” Home Studio Sessions continued to be a thing in 2021. They were often trying and occasionally train wrecks, but moments of beauty emerged when we turned things over to the bands and there was no greater example than this stunning version of “Telepath”.

Leftover Salmon – “Flying at Night” Our first member session in 18 months and its a seafood feast with legendary jamgrassers Leftover Salmon. Can’t have it any better than that. Thanks to our friends at the Front Porch for filming and to Surfside Sustainable Seafood for making sure the salmon was fresh.

The Steel Wheels – “Little Sadie” 2020 collided with our plans for Dead Air 3, but we rebounded with all streaming version, Dead Air 2.4 that featured 12 bands performing from shuttered venues, studios, and spaces like Alder Creek Farm where the Steel Wheels took on the frequent Dead set piece and classic folk ballad “Little Sadie”. 

S.G. Goodman – “Space and Time” Stepping away from her band S.G. Goodman proved she has the power to stun all on her own with this stellar live version of “Space and Time” from her debut album Old Time Feeling.