Best Of 2019 - Angel Olsen “All Mirrors”

Originally published by Alt Citizen

Angel Olsen has come a long way since her early alt-folk stylings, evolving with each album into an artist of incomparable vision and talent. 2016’s My Woman propelled a tinsel-tressed Olsen forward from the ranks of lo-fi indie darlings and straight to the front of the class. That album’s brash and sincere portrayal of modern femininity and deep personal confessions hit like a thunderclap and set the bar impossibly high for a follow up.

All Mirrors doesn’t just clear that bar, but sails so far overhead it lands on a completely different stage. Cinematic in scope, Olsen’s widescreen compositions cast the artist as a central figure in a silver screen drama populated with a stunning array of supporting sounds and lush, glittering production that feels at once timeless and completely modern. Pulsating synth and a stirring orchestral section bolster the traditional guitar/bass/drums/vocals that have been Angel Olsen’s standard sonic toolbox since her earliest recordings, upholstering that sturdy, time-tested framework in a plush and inviting layer of dark navy-blue velvet complete with gold trim. This album is regal and sophisticated, pure class from the minute the needle drops on the A side all the way to the runout groove of the last track.

Exemplary of her skill as a songwriter and the strength of her voice, never once does Olsen get lost in the production. Even at her most delicate she is front and center. Her persona is always in crisp focus as the music swirls around her, mirroring her words and emotions and amplifying their impact a thousand-fold. The potent mélange of confidence and vulnerability is conveyed with a characteristic verve that is all her own. It’s intimate but relatable, with beautiful lines like “knowing that you love someone doesn't mean you ever were in love” delivered with the feeling that we are gazing deep into Olsen’s eyes, only to realize we are also staring at a reflection of ourselves. We are all mirrors, and All Mirrors is a brilliant light, reflected back and focused upon Olsen’s singular talent standing tall at the center of the stage.