Are We There

Even though many of the songs on <i>Are We There</i> muse on the pain of difficult relationships (plainly evident in the titles of tunes like “Your Love Is Killing Me” and “I Love You But I’m Lost”), Brooklyn-based singer/songwriter Sharon Van Etten sounds strikingly confident on the follow-up to her stellar 2012 album, <i>Tramp</i>. Whether she’s leading a dusky, after-hours synth-rock dirge (“Break Me”) or mournful piano ballad (the sublime “I Know”), Van Etten is brilliantly self-possessed. Alternating between a chilling whisper and throaty wail, the songwriter's forceful yearning—for sleep, for patience, for a romantic silver lining—unifies much of <i>Are We There</i>. But in such capable hands, suffering has rarely sounded so good.