All Mirrors - Angel Olsen: Review
is a Nashville based singer-songwriter who has been releasing critically acclaimed indie records music since 2010. Her breakout moment came on her third album My Woman in 2016 when it's single Shut Up Kiss Me became one of the biggest indie singles of the year and the record received massive critical acclaim landing high on numerous lists at the end of the year.
Review By Lavender:
My enjoyment of Angel's music began in 2014 when I got a very strong recommendation for her record Burn Your Fire For No Witness from some locals given that she is operating out of my home state. But even though I loved this record I wasn't prepared for her next album to be not only a huge breakout success, but also one of the best indie rock records of this entire decade. My Woman sounds as excellent in 2019 as it did when it first came out three years ago and after really enjoying both of the singles in the lead-up to All Mirrors I had very high expectations. and the record lives up to just about everything I had hoped for.
As I said the era started off confidently with two singles Lark and All Mirrors and they serve as the first two songs on the record. Lark is a grand and dramatic ballad with swelling walls of strings and a powerful lead vocal performance from Angel. The songwriting isn't exactly perfect but it keeps the track interesting up until its two most grand moments where the strings come in even sharper and some bombastic percussion lights up the background of the track. The grand conclusion comes after the track explodes into electric guitar passages and shouted lead vocals that tie up the song perfectly. The next single was All Mirrors a haunting and dramatic track that I fell in love with the moment I first heard it. The track features some absolutely chilling walls of strings and haunting keys flanking Angel's arena sized vocal performance. She even manages to work in a catchy vocal refrain onto the hook and this track has been both a brilliant one, and one I can't get out of my head.
A good bit of this record seems to be heavily inspired by similar things and coming from the same artistic direction. New Love Cassette is one of Angel's more reserved performances on the record as she sings at a near whisper. The first half of the song is a slow instrumental build that gets stunned by a loud and completely blown out string passage that is almost jarring in its interruption. It is far from the best tune on the record but stylistically it fits in. Impasse is one of the grandest ballads here that works its way from a dark and airy chamber pop sound into a huge swelling power ballad with ascending strings and Angel belting her heart out over the massive arrangement for one of the more stellar tunes.
Some of the other tracks across the middle of the record take a little bit of a different approach. Too Easy is a sweeter song with some gorgeous descending key lines and Angel giving some lovely girlish vocals, while it isn't one of the grandest statements on the record it is still a good song. Spring is a track that would have fit very comfortably in My Woman with the driving keys behind her lead vocals playing front and center to her sweet swelling melodies. It's one of the brightest and breeziest songs on this record however and it stands out with some amazing songwriting and an absolutely whimsical as Angel gives a sugary vocal performance all wrapped up in a steady key and drum line that is so sweet on the ears.
What It Is is another breezy and pop oriented song that sees Angel pulling from some conventional country melodies with a number of wild but captivating musical passages. The song never quite settles on just one thing but the progression also never feels aimless and the resulting song is quite good. Finally Tonight opens with some intimate and emotional singing as Angel gives a soft but strained vocal performance that lifts into a grander ballad, but one of the weaker tunes on the album especially given how outclassed it is by a number of the other tracks.
Almost all of the best tracks on All Mirrors come as the singles in the beginning, and a rush of excellent tunes right at the end. Summer is sneakily one of the best tracks here with some absolutely perfect rattling percussion and a killer guitar riff. Angel shines as well with an excellent lead vocal refrain and a sunny performance that makes for one of the more conventionally indie rock tracks here, and it reminds me of an underrated favorite from Angel's last record, the track Not Gonna Kill You. Next up is Endgame is an incredibly unique tune within the record that is by far one of the most captivating of the slower tracks. The song has a very strong progression as is progresses through its passages and it is all commanded by a super strong yet reserved vocal performance from Angel herself. Finally Chance sounds like a gorgeous piano ballad you would hear in a smoky night club in Los Vegas in the 60's and I am absolutely living for it. Angel dominates the song with her vocals but the background has some dreamy keys that make it all sounds like something Beach House would have done on their best records. The combination is potent and gorgeous and an excellent closer to the record.
All Mirrors is an excellent follow-up to Angel's breakout album My Woman that came just at the right time. The records grand arrangements, powerful vocal performance and unique instrumental variety are a combination of things we haven't heard anywhere in 2019, at least not this well. It is yet another in a line of essential indie releases from Angel Olsen and is likely to join some big name indie artists the likes of Bon Iver, Vampire Weekend and James Blake as one of the best records you'll hear in the genre in 2019. 8.5/10
For more great indie rock check out my review of Whitney's Forever Turned Around here
