Review Summary: Couldn't See the Light You Brought to Me
Accomplished and exceptional songstress Angel Olsen returns off the heels of one of her most stripped back musical excursions with a short four song E.P. that explores various styles ranging from moody and jazzy americana to bouncy indie rock. These unreleased tunes from the ‘Big Time’ writing sessions carry a similar temperate and nuanced composure that’s equally vibrant and emotionally wrenching whilst exploring various tried and true lyrical trepidations such as love, heartbreak, and sadness. These explorative vignettes of sound each individually designed with its own soundscape, feel more like isolated journeys in a vacuous space rather than pieces of a grander puzzle. The flow of the release is certainly hindered by this but as distinctive musical units, each song feels calculated, creative and necessary to the story being told.
The beginning of this journey is highlighted by “Nothing’s Free” which commences as an ethereal, piano-driven ballad with vocals drenched in reverb eventually building into a grandiose moody, jazzy lounge tune with beautiful accent horns and massive instrumental swells. The title track “Forever Means” was originally penned during the ‘All Mirrors’ writing sessions and was revisited following it’s release in 2019. Olsen was quoted saying regarding the song: “I’d thought of it as a kind of nod to George Harrison, who I’d been getting back into during the pandemic as I was finally calming down and finding moments of peace with myself.” The song itself it vocally driven with quiet instrumentals in the background, very tame and emotional yet resounding and powerful. Lyrically, this song tackles the notion of forever in terms of relationship and the endless search for that satisfaction:
“Forever means always looking,
Forever means trying to see,
Forever means saying what’s on your mind,
Forevеr means always trying to find,
Forever mеans make sure, take your time,
Forever in your eyes.”
“Time Bandits” is a dreamy sounding americana tune that feels like it would fit perfectly in the ‘Big Time’ track list and tackles the feelings of falling in love and the ups and downs and emotions that surface throughout the process. Finally, the closing track “Holding On” features a more upbeat, indie rock energy that exudes confidence, poise and allows Olsen to showcase a more potent vocal attack with exploration into her higher belting range and dynamic melodies that feel much more explosive that anything else on this E.P. Overall, this effort showcases Olsen’s dynamic career and the array of styles that she utterly slays. Her constant high-quality output really ignites the talking points of her being one of the most essential artists in the current indie music landscape.
* Interview Quote Courtesy of "Dork"
