ANGEL OLSEN レコード& CD

Review: St Louis' indie icon Angel Olsen has always hinted at her country leanings in her music, but on her sixth album she goes more wholeheartedly into the tradition of Americana. At the same time, the album's themes centre around Olsen's journey of discovery as she came out as queer in her mid-thirties, and this gets explored wholeheartedly in the video for the title track with its testing of gender norms. Co-produced with Jonathan Wilson and featuring Drew Erickson and Emily Elhaj on keys and bass respectively, it's a stunning step on for Olsen as she explores the roots of her sound and her world as it stands now.

Review: Recorded at Vox Studios, Los Angeles, Angel Olsen's third album is a game of two halves, a city of contrasts, and a juxtaposition of emotions, realised through music. Structurally, it plays out with a pair of distinct sides, with the A serving to represent upbeat positivity, the kind of tracks you want playing as you cruise through town on a blue sky-thinking day. Flip it to find things are much more sedate, reflective, and thoughtful, albeit definitely far from sombre.

That certainly helps pack variety into the release. My Woman followed on from Burn Your Fire for No Witness and Half Way Home, both of which had been resolutely lo-fi indie. By comparison, this was her attempt to break free of those delicate, self-created shackles and deliver something fuller, louder, and much poppier. She achieved just that, and if you're not already familiar we recommend listening to the stunning results.

Review: If you felt Angel Olsen's 'All Mirrors' album would benefit from a stripped down, pared back interpretation this is your lucky day. Far from some rushed attempt to release anything into the music industry's COVID-19 infested waters, the intimate, often hushed and delicate versions here are actually the original recordings of the tracks, which were then elevated to the scale we heard on that LP of last year.

The plan was always to release these as a counterpoint to the bigger sounding takes, and there will be few reasonably minded people who won't delight in that decision. It's as if we've watched her sepia-hued show-stopping performance in the main ballroom and then retired for intimate drinks in the dressing room. A staggering sibling to what was already one of our favourite records from recent years.

Review: It's hard to imagine the esteemed Jagjaguwar label without Angel Olsen. The American singer-songwriter feels like a central figure. She epitomises the absolute quality that they put out year-in, year-out. Her long-standing partnership with them has led to her landing a new imprint named somethingscosmic. Here she's given free reign to release when and how she wants, with help from Jagjaguwar. An absolute dream for her no doubt. This, the second release on somethingscosmic, it's billed as a compilation reimagined as a dialogue; the A-side features artists chosen by Olsen, with each artist choosing their own song for the collection. Side B is a collection of songs from the same artists, but chosen by Olsen and recorded by her. Of the artists on there, Poppy Jean Crawford's 'Glamorous' is dark post-punk with a Kills-esque vocal... it feels like what the definition of rock n' roll should be. Meanwhile, Coffin Prick's 'Blood' (Yep, you read that right... what a band name!) is a great example of reckless psychedelic fuzz. And Sarah Grace White has a stunning, magnetic voice and the music is pared back to let it shine at the forefront of the mix. Olsen clearly has A&R clout and magical release ideas - long may her new venture thrive.