{"id":35305,"date":"2022-06-03T17:41:24","date_gmt":"2022-06-03T17:41:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/angel-olsen-delivers-country-sized-emotions\/"},"modified":"2022-06-03T17:41:24","modified_gmt":"2022-06-03T17:41:24","slug":"angel-olsen-delivers-country-sized-emotions","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/angel-olsen-delivers-country-sized-emotions\/","title":{"rendered":"Angel Olsen Delivers Country-Sized Emotions"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Angel Olsen has never repeated herself. Her debut Half Way Home<\/em> introduced Olsen as a psych-folk songwriter with a powerhouse voice, before the lo-fi indie of Burn Your Fire For No Witness<\/em> reframed her within the context of a band. Two years later, My Woman<\/em> upped the production value and saw Olsen at her most intense and confrontational. All Mirrors<\/em> wiped clean any pre-conceptions of Olsen, and even when she literally repeated herself with Whole New Mess<\/em>it felt like an entirely new statement.<\/p>\n

Since the one-two punch of All Mirrors<\/em> and Whole New Mess<\/em>, Olsen has kept fans guessing on which direction she might be headed next. In 2021, she released her Sharon Van Etten collaboration \u201cLike I Used To,\u201d a victory lap of an indie rock song for two of the genre’s most accomplished singer-songwriters. Her Aisles<\/em> cover EP from the same year then hinted at a shift towards’ 80s synth revivalism. Maybe an electronic shift would be the refreshing move after the intensely orchestrated songs of All Mirrors<\/em> and the solo guitar music of Whole New Mess<\/em>.<\/p>\n

But no, Olsen once again delightfully surprises with something else entirely. She doesn’t double down on the indie aesthetics of \u201cLike I Used To\u201d or take a trip into cybersphere like on Aisles<\/em>. Instead, Big Time<\/em>, out today (June 3rd), borrows from the country tradition, indulging in pedal steals, nylon guitars, and loving waltzes. On paper, it might sound hokey, but the emotions on Big Time<\/em> are complex and strike right for the heart. It’s Olsen finally giving in to the Emmylou Harris comparisons without losing an ounce of her identity di lei.<\/p>\n

From the onset, Big Time<\/em> features some of Olsen’s most carefree tunes. The opening cuts find Olsen oozing a profound contentedness, reveling in the confidence and security of her love di lei. She’s self-assured and remorseless on opener “All The Good Times,” beginning the song – and the album – with the defiant “I can’t say that I’m sorry when I don’t feel so wrong anymore.” All the while, the soundscape slowly builds into a triumphant jamboree, complete with layered guitars, horn orchestration, and concert bells.<\/p>\n

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