Album Reviews

Angel Olsen's third album reminds me of Elvis Costello's first even though she's mostly vulnerable whereas Costello was angry and snarly. The similarity is in how both make fresh older rock conventions like power cords and '50s era rhythms.

"Be My Baby" subtly provides the rhythmic foundation for a few tracks, while the melodies on others glide along freshly on well-worn power cords. The result is Olsen and the band breath fresh life into a musical convention many thought finished. It's exciting to hear these young, talented musicians return to the roots and subtly rework revitalize this musical style, much as Costello did in the late '70's when the music seemed to have forgotten how to rock and to have energy and vitality.

Olsen, her high pitched, often yearning or sad yet soothing voice bathed in warm reverb, explores and so defines her womanhood, opening up to express desire, regret, envy, resolve, nostalgia, the heartache of a break-up and other feelings that define young womanhood.

Your age won't effect the strength of your reaction to Olsen's music. In fact, I think older might be better to enjoy this well-produced and arranged—probably with minimal funds— (another similarity to Costello's debut) album.

In terms of her visual image Olsen is a chameleon: she can look pixie-like cute in one shot, remarkably like Sandy Denny in another, exotic in one, blandly collegiate in another, and on the cover shot, wearing black eye-liner she delivers image ambiguity that seems to move the still shot.

The St. Louis native once sang back up for Will "Bonnie Prince Billy" Oldham—another midwesterner—and like him she seems honest, unadorned and impossible to pigeon-hole or pin down musically or otherwise.

The recording is skilled, coherently mixed and has a warmth and three dimensionality missing from many current alternative rock records You'll enjoy listening to it for the listening as well as the musical contents. "Music today sucks" cynics need to come home to this record. Everyone involved, including the co-producer and engineer Justin Raisen have produced one of the best records of 2016. The pressing quality was pretty good, but some "non-fill" produced some background "crunchies" on the opening tracks on both sides. Nice "Tip-on" gatefold packaging.