Angel Olsen

Every now and again you come across an album that from out of the blue just makes you stop, shut-up and listen (here and here for example...) I'd been recommended Angel Olsen's 2012 debut "Half Way Home" but to be honest I never quite got it - sure, I could certainly appreciate the texture and structure of the songs, that overwhelming feeling of loss and longing; THAT voice (and comparisons with Patsy Cline weren't that far off the mark) - but as a relative stranger to the rich history and influence that Country-Folk has over "Americana" - I somehow felt removed - detached - from the whole experience. I could appreciate both the album and the artist, but I somehow couldn't get "involved"...

And then NPR offered a link to stream her impending sophomore album "Burn Your Fire For No Witness"... and so I gave it a listen... and then another... and another... As soon as the album was released I had to own it...

On a cursory listen you could be mistaken for thinking that the album's opener, "Unfucktheworld", was an out-take from her debut - flattened vocals and simple acoustic guitar. But there's a noticeable edge - the voice soars and implores, the guitar is deliberately muddied - in many ways it's the perfect bridge from the past to what is about to follow...

For then Angel Olsen plugs in her guitar, cranks up the volume and puts metal-to-the-effects-pedal, the drum kicks... There's this gorgeous crescendo of fuzzed, distorted guitar, a banshee wail, the drum beat acting as a metronome, Angel spitting out the words - the way that instruments and voice are layered... no two ways about it, "Forgiven/Forgotten" is a nailed-on indie-rock gem... Indeed, there's an overwhelming indie sensibility that is woven throughout this album which every now and again is given fall rein...  "Stars" has a gorgeous guitar riff, swirling keyboards and when the voice lets rip it's with a delicious cry of fury... "High and wild" builds on a simple chugging guitar, continues to grow before climaxing with a full-blown jam, all pounding drums and reverbed guitar...
 

 
But it's not all about post-punk attitude; "Hi-five" could easily have been a Roy Orbison song - there's that same vocal inflection and trademark echo on the guitar - you're left with the impression that the great man would have been proud of this. "White fire" is just plain hauntingly atmospheric. The kind of song that meanders along at its own pace, but the tonal quality of the voice just holds you mesmerised. 

In fact there's a vocal intensity on display here that is at times frightening - from jagged and angry, to pleading and plaintive (the shimmering beauty that is "Dance slow decades" and especially on "Enemy" - there's that Patsy Cline comparison again - which I guarantee will send shivers down your spine); to angelic and choral - the achingly beautiful "Windows" - as the tempo and melody rise, the voice shines as crystalline and pure as Hannah Reid's. It's the kind of song that gnaws away at you and leaves you wanting more.

The truth is that if I think about this too deeply, the themes on display here - melancholy, betrayal, hurt and loneliness, vulnerability and inner strength - aren't that far removed from those of her debut (makes a note to revisit "Half Way Home"...) But this time it's as if the songs are aimed directly at me (which if they are, I'm worried...) They feel personal. We're connected and I want to become involved.

"Burn Your Fire For No Witness" does that to you. It's a truly stunning album... The quality of the lyrics - personal, autobiographical - are truly outstanding. Every song on this masterpiece (yes you read that correctly) draws you-in, overwhelms you and challenges you to remain dispassionate. You won't be able to resist.

"Burn Your Fire For No Witness" is a statement album from an artist intent on leaving their mark. With this collection Angel Olsen signals that she has well and truly arrived. 

This should be huge... 

Angel Olsen's Website

"Burn Your Fire For No Witness" (iTunes, Amazon, 7Digital)