BeatRoute Magazine AB Edition - October 2019

Reviews
ALBUM
Album Review
ANGEL OLSEN
All Mirrors
Jagjaguwar
After the overwhelming success of
her three wildly acclaimed albums, it
makes sense that Angel Olsen might
depart from the pillars of mendaciously-crafted
folk pop for something teeming
with fresh ambition and a towering
with a new objective: figuring out how
translate vulnerability into power.
Gone is is silver tinsel hair and
playful roller rink messing around that
adorned the video for her 2016 hit
single, “Shut Up Kiss Me.” In its place,
Olsen’s refreshed persona ventures
into the bold and exquisite world of
60s noir — an imposing figure draped
in a long black dress with a wind-swept
vail that follows her lead as she methodically
whirls across a stark white
backdrop. Such is the mood swing
from her first video featur- ing the title
track on All Mirrors.
The segue into the album’s sonic
texture is also a strange, dramatic mix
of strings that swoop and swell, anchored
by synthesized keys and electronic
drums. These competing and
complementary forces collide with the
dreamy, icy elegance of gothic black
and white cinema, creating a surreal
sci-fi soundscape. What’s truly compelling
about All Mirrors is its commanding
presence that travels deep into a
cavalcade of imaginary dimensions. It’s
a bold cinematic experience.
Along with a distinct outer-limits
look and sound that dominates Olson’s
current creative space, she weaves
and careens through lengthy, entangled
ballads exploring the mechanics
of a complicated heart which effectively
doubles as a summation of the
postmodern condition.
Best Song: What Is It
Brad Simm
OCTOBER 2019 BEATROUTE 23
CAMERON MCCOOL