Cat No: JAG201LP-C2

Dear Reader,
About a year or two ago, Naomi Yang (of Galaxie 500) reached out to me
after she rediscovered a video that we had made together in 2011, during the
making of Tramp, just before the album’s release. It was for the song Serpents.
The timing was uncanny, approaching the anniversary of Tramp. Thinking
about my time in New York while in the bubble of Los Angeles and my
home. Thinking about how restless I was, and now settled down and stable.
Thinking about how Aaron Dessner took a chance on me after I messaged
him with a fury of demos. He could see through the hiss and crappy vocals
on my GarageBand demos, and that I had something to say. He gave me the
confidence to be loud and to scream my rage and feel founded and justified
in my own pain. He gave me more tools to find catharsis in my work. I have
carried that with me ever since.
Being on the west coast the last two years, I look back on my community
in New York and am forever grateful. I had so many friends and peers step
up and help me unfold these demos. The album that it became. Doug Keith
and Ben Lord from my original touring band, Logan Cole, Peter Silberman
from The Antlers, Jessica Larrabee from She Keeps Bees, Thomas Bartlett of
Doveman, Rob Moose of yMusic, Jenn Wasner of Wye Oak, Julianna Barwick,
Zach Condon of Beirut, Matt Barrick (of the Walkmen), Clarice Jensen, Ben
Lanz, Bryce Dessner, and Bryan Devendorf (of The National).
I had almost forgotten about a song titled This Is Too Right that didn’t make
it onto the record. It was one of the first guitar “riffs” I had ever written and
Jenn Wasner sang on it with me. A song about not believing how good I had it,
like the other shoe was about to drop. I hope everyone that helped make this
record and supported it, feel the love and admiration that I continue to hold
for all of you. I hope that in sharing this record again, with a new video and
this forgotten track, that new listeners are brought into this album and find
meaning and relevance in it today. All of the musicians on this album helped
me come to life and perform in ways I never had before.
May these songs find you well. Sending all my love, Sharon.