[ photo by Jenni Li ]

Chan Marshall, publicly known as Cat Power, has returned from a four year hiatus of real life to create one of the year’s finest, most confident releases. I think she’s saving music a bit, so her record Sun is this week’s Album of the Week.

Marshall’s ninth album (yes – ninth), is a defiant declaration of independence; she wrote, played, recorded, and produced the entire record on her own. She doesn’t mess around.

The written pieces by Pitchfork and Spin about Sun have been incredible, insightful glimpses into the paradoxically open yet reserved nature of Marshall and her work. Spin reveals that the album’s longest track “Nothin But Time” was written for Marshall’s ex’s daughter as a remedy to sleeplessness. Pitchfork shares Marshall’s yearning for the closing track “Peace and Love” to be a Jay-Z approved anthem.

The album is galvanized by context, but it stands perfectly and proudly without it. Sun is the comeback that Cat Power fans needed, and it is a stand-alone quality work for music appreciators.

Thanks to NPR, the entire album is up for streaming before the official release in the United States on September 4 off Matador Records.

Start with the lead track “Ruin:”

[ stream // facebook // twitter // website ]

– ANH