On MY WOMAN Angel Olsen blends lo-fil aesthetics (fuzzy guitar, strummed tightly or picked and put through watery effects pedals), with a voice that’s lower than that of Adrianne Lenker’s, yet still manages to push through a sense of debilitating vulnerability in love, all while essentially playing straightforward rock. “Give It Up,” for example, is groovy and danceable while still being a lament. “Hurts to be around you, I can’t stand your lying,” Olsen sings with a vaguely wavering voice, “I can’t stand your lying. Whenever you’re beside me, a part of me is dying.”
“Not Gonna Kill You” is a bit more of a ballad than anything, but it’s oddly enough not the lyrical content that’s so appealing. Rather, it’s Olsen’s delivery, determined yet possessed of a pendulum-like emotionality, first hurt and vulnerable, then confidently defiant, that strings us along. First the choppy rhythm sets the stage, aided by a guitar which is ever present on the record, then Olsen, without any pretension, pours her heart out for us.
The best track on the record has to be “Shut Up Kiss Me.”
Oh, man. This song. Oh, man.
It’s a perfect synthesis of all that Olsen does so well previously on the record. Her faltering voice, somehow-still-melancholy lovestruck optimism, her badassery. The breakdown halfway through the track, wherein Olsen proclaims “I could make it all disappear, you could feed me all of your fears, we could end all of this pain right here, we could rewind all of those tears” is one of my favourite musical moments of 2016.
Not because it’s any more ambitious or technically impressive than any other moment, but because Olsen managed to put out a compelling, hip-swingingly danceable record that’s, at the same time, an unmediated exploration of her own infatuation, melancholy, and heartbreak.
Seriously, what more could anyone ask for?
