Genre: Dream Pop
Label Number: JAG344
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© 2019 Jagjaguwar
AllMusic Review by Marcy Donelson
When Angel Olsen
first emerged as a solo artist in the early 2010s, it was with a spare,
haunting acoustic lo-fi that put all focus on her vulnerable,
idiosyncratic vocal delivery. As she shifted from country-inflected
indie folk to a brooding, more volatile garage-rock blend over the
course of her next couple albums, even adding synths to the mix on
2017's My Woman, she managed to keep her tormented songs distinctly intimate. She does it again on All Mirrors,
even when lavish arrangements and sometimes seismic production make
full use of a 14-piece orchestra alongside guitars, synths, and a
thundering low end. All Mirrors was co-produced by Olsen and Burn Your Fire for No Witness' John Congleton, who also mixed it, and features string arrangements by Jherek Bischoff and Ben Babbitt. Babbitt also co-wrote some of the music with Olsen. (The lyrics are all Olsen.)
Opening track "Lark" sets the stage, developing from a reticent mumble
over distant-sounding strings to a yelping, echoing symphonic pop and
back again. "Echoing" may be understating it; the song and much of the
studio-made album sound like they were recorded in a cathedral, with
instruments simmering at a distance before closing in on the singer at
opportune moments. Meanwhile, she fills the reverberating expanses with
pleas, frustrations, and sad epiphanies on a set of songs concerned with
deciding to walk away from toxic relationships, as the track list
guides listeners through "Spring," "Summer," and "Endgame." Amid more
theatrical entries, "Too Easy" takes on a dreamy, synth-heavy semi-disco
("Any way you want to, honey/Take me, show me how you want me").
Elsewhere, the devastating "Tonight" sounds as if delivered through
tears, combining half-exhaled vocals with the elegant Romanticism of its
orchestra accompaniment. The album closes on "Chance," a dramatic,
cabaret-style offering that executes the lyrics "It's hard to say
forever love/Forever is just so far" with a confident if quivering lilt.
All Mirrors
was originally conceived as a double album with solo renditions of the
same songs, but as the fully realized tracks took shape, Olsen
committed to a definitive version. Though she may have initially built
her reputation on stark and brittle atmospheres, it turns out that her
trademark vulnerability is only elevated by these stirring, highly
stylized interpretations, making it a risk that pays off in spades.
tags: angel olsen, all mirrors, 2019, flac,
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