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: Angel Olsen's Aisles is an 80s cover EP that has been put together after her last two emotionally wrought albums. It has some great moments like the brooding sounds of her versions of classics such as 'Forever Young' and 'The Safety Dance.' The artist says she heard the source material while in grocery stores and was inspired to just "have a little fun and be a little more spontaneous." Laura Branigan's Euro-disco anthem 'Gloria' is another standout as here it becomes a moody rework with slow tempos that draw you in deep, while there is a real tenderness to her take on Alphaville's 'Forever Young.'