Some quick thoughts on new music:
- I was a bit let down by the new Angel Olsen, but it might be my own fault. "All Mirrors" is my song of the year so far. It's so fucking good and I've absolutely thrashed it into the ground. I guess I expected the whole album to affect me the same way, and it doesn't, but the problem might simply be I'm so familiar with the title track that everything else is overshadowed. Or perhaps it really is like My Woman, where I consider "Sister" an all-timer among an album that otherwise generally doesn't blow me away.
I was just about to post about this album. I gave it the first listen last night and have been listening a couple more times today. I am really loving it. More than My Woman. The string arrangements that are all over this thing are really, really doing it for me. They make the whole thing so deeply evocative. Highlights include All Mirrors(made me want to listen to the album right away, killer single), What It Is, Impasse, and Tonight.
But the closer, Chance, might be song of the year. Just absolutely sublime, her vocals(I don't know if the way she quivers towards the end is on purpose, but it's so affecting), the strings, the sparse keyboards, everything. Breathtaking.
It's really a haunting, gorgeous album. I am struck by how honest the whole thing feels, like she's really putting herself out there.
The record is getting rave reviews so far. I read in a couple that she may at some point release a second version of the album where the songs would be more stripped down, i.e. no orchestral arrangements. Would be interesting to hear, but I love the orchestral stuff so much that I can't see preferring stripped down arrangements.
Anyway, hard to see it not being in my top 3 for the year. Fuck, it's good.