It’s been pretty fascinating to watch the musical evolution of Angel Olsen over the last few years. With each record, she’s gradually fleshed out her songs more and more, moving from the beautiful austerity of Strange Cacti to the tight country arrangements on Half Way Home (TMT Review) and now to the more expansive and rocking instrumentation on the forthcoming Burn Your Fire for No Witness. However, the one thing that has remained the same despite Olsen’s progressively expanding instrumental palette, is her knack at capturing the loneliness and volatility present in tumultuous relationships with her lyrics and vocal delivery. “Forgiven/Forgotten” is another excellent variation on Olsen’s themes and the song’s sneering in-the-red garage rock shows that she’s now using arrangements as a new kind of text painting. Olsen’s lyrics may sound sweet on paper, but her singing and accompaniment makes them ooze sarcasm and bitterness that the track’s video manages to match visually.
Burn Your Fire for No Witness is out via Jagjaguwar on February 18th.
• Angel Olsen: http://angelolsen.com
• Jagjaguwar: http://www.jagjaguwar.com
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