Angel Olsen

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Angel Olsen
Olsen performing live at Rockefeller in Oslo, Norway, 2020
Olsen performing live at Rockefeller in Oslo, Norway, 2020
Background information
Birth nameAngelina Maria Carroll[1][2]
Born (1987-01-22) January 22, 1987 (age 34)
St. Louis, Missouri, U.S.
OriginChicago, Illinois, U.S.
Genres
Occupation(s)
  • Singer-songwriter
  • musician
  • record producer
Instruments
  • Vocals
  • guitar
  • keyboards
  • synthesizer
Years active2009–present
Labels
Associated acts
Websiteangelolsen.com

Angel Olsen (born January 22, 1987) is an American singer-songwriter and musician from St. Louis, Missouri[8][9] who lives in Asheville, North Carolina.[10]

To date, Olsen has released five studio albums: Half Way Home (2012), Burn Your Fire for No Witness (2014), My Woman (2016), All Mirrors (2019) and Whole New Mess (2020).

Early life and education[]

Angel Olsen was born on January 22, 1987 in St. Louis, Missouri. At age three, Olsen was adopted by a foster family that had cared for her since shortly after her birth. The difference in years between her and her parents left an impression. "Because there are so many decades of difference between us, I became more interested in what their childhood was like," she says of her parents, both of whom still live in St. Louis. "I fantasized about what it was like to be young in the ’30s and ’50s, more so than other kids my age."[10] Olsen explained that "my mother just has this capacity for children."[10]

Despite early adolescent aspirations to be a "pop star", her interests later shifted in high school. Olsen became more introverted, regularly attending punk rock and noise music shows at the Lemp Neighborhood Arts Center and the Creepy Crawl as well as Christian rock shows throughout the city.[11] She began learning the piano and guitar and writing her own music.[10][12] At the age of 16, she joined a local band called Good Fight, self-described as "a meeting of early No Doubt and punk rock."[13] Two years after graduating from Tower Grove Christian High School, Olsen moved to Chicago.[11]

Career[]

Half Way Home and Burn Your Fire for No Witness[]

Olsen performing live at Pitchfork Music Festival 2017 in Chicago, Illinois, 2017
Olsen performing at the Sinclair (2016).

After releasing her first EP, Strange Cacti,[14] and a debut studio album, Half Way Home,[15] on Bathetic Records, Olsen signed with Jagjaguwar,[16] ahead of her first full-band record, Burn Your Fire for No Witness,[17] which was released on February 17, 2014.[18][19] The closing track of the album, "Windows", was featured in the final episode in the first season of the Netflix original series 13 Reasons Why in 2017.

My Woman[]

Olsen's third studio album, My Woman, was released on September 2, 2016.[20][21] In a review for Consequence of Sound, critic Ciara Dolan described the album as a "startling record of unimpeachable strength and honesty",[22] while Pitchfork's Jenn Pelly described it as "her best record yet".[23]

All Mirrors, Whole New Mess and Songs of the Lark and Other Far Memories[]

Olsen's fourth studio album, All Mirrors, was released on October 4, 2019 to critical acclaim. Laura Snapes of Pitchfork described the album as "breathtaking", and a "strong wind" that blows in and "leaves you undone",[24] while Alexis Petridis of The Guardian described it as "challenging and intriguing", and Luke Saunders of Happy Mag described it as a change of "theatric transcendency",[25] when compared to her previous releases.

Olsen plays a vintage Gibson S-1 guitar from 1979.[26]

On August 28, 2020, Olsen released her fifth studio album Whole New Mess through Jagjaguwar.[27] The album features tracks from All Mirrors arranged in a more intimate style.

On March 30, 2021, Olsen announced a special edition boxset entitled 'Songs of the Lark and Other Far Memories', which contains her previous two albums All Mirrors and Whole New Mess alongside demos, re-workings, remixes and covers to close this chapter of her career, released via Jagjaguwar. It was announced with the lead single 'It's Every Season [Whole New Mess]' and is due for release on May 7 2021.[28]

Collaborations and Aisles[]

In addition to her work with Bonnie "Prince" Billy and the Cairo Gang, Olsen has collaborated with a number of other notable figures of American indie rock, including Tim Kinsella of Cap'n Jazz, LeRoy Bach of Wilco and Cass McCombs.[29] Her collaboration with Kinsella and Bach, as well as with Chicago poet Marvin Tate, resulted in the album Tim Kinsella Sings the Songs of Marvin Tate by Leroy Bach Featuring Angel Olsen which the group released on Indianapolis label Joyful Noise Recordings on December 3, 2013.[29]

In 2020, Olsen released several remixes of popular releases. On April 9, 2020, Olsen released a remix of "All Mirrors" her album All Mirrors Produced by Chromatics' Johnny Jewel.[30] On June 3, 2020 Olsen released a remix of "New Love Cassette" from her album All Mirrors produced by Mark Ronson with whom she collaborated with on Ronson's song "True Blue".[31]

In 2020, Olsen worked on a cover of "Mr. Lonely", originally by Bobby Vinton, for the film Kajillionaire directed by Miranda July. Olsen collaborated with film composer Emile Mosseri on the cover which was released on September 16, 2020 and was included in the soundtrack. [32]

On May 20, 2021, Olsen released a single with Sharon Van Etten, "Like I Used To", which was produced by John Congleton. Olsen and Van Etten appear in the music video with their hair styled in similar shag haircuts. [33]

On August 20, 2021, Olsen released her fourth extended play, Aisles, which contains several covers of 80’s hits. Pitchfork writer Evan Rytlewski described it as “An unusual departure for a songwriter who’s always staked everything on her conviction.”[34]

Style[]

Pitchfork has likened her to acts such as The Cure, Cocteau Twins and Siouxsie and the Banshees, saying that she has created a dark dream-pop dealing with anxiety.[35]

Personal life[]

On April 16, 2021, Olsen came out as gay.[36]

Discography[]

Main article: Angel Olsen discography

Studio albums

Awards and nominations[]

Award Year Category Nominee(s) Result Ref.
Libera Awards 2014 Up and Comer Artist Award Burn Your Fire for No Witness Won [37]
2017 Album of the Year My Woman Won [38]
Best Live Act Herself Nominated [39]
Video of the Year “Shut Up Kiss Me” Nominated [39]
Video of the Year (Fan Vote) Nominated [39]
2020 Album of the Year All Mirrors Nominated [40]
Best Alternative Rock Album Nominated [40]
2021 Best Folk/Bluegrass Album Whole New Mess Nominated [41]
The Daily Californian Art Awards 2016 Best Non-Billboard Song “Shut Up Kiss Me” Nominated [42]

References[]

  1. ^ TimeOut Istanbul. "Interview: Angel Olsen". Retrieved July 30, 2021.
  2. ^ Hislop, Christopher (July 23, 2015). "The sweet, haunting voice of Angel Olsen". Retrieved July 30, 2021.
  3. ^ Richardson, Mark (September 25, 2019). "'All Mirrors' by Angel Olsen Review: A Surprising Turn". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved October 5, 2019.
  4. ^ Terich, Jeff (September 30, 2019). "Album of the Week: Angel Olsen – All Mirrors". Treble. Retrieved October 5, 2019.
  5. ^ Thomas, Fred. "Angel Olsen biography". AllMusic. Retrieved January 18, 2017.
  6. ^ Donelson, Marcy. "My Woman – Angel Olsen". AllMusic. Retrieved September 16, 2016.
  7. ^ Todd, Bella (August 29, 2016). "Angel Olsen: indie's dark star tackles 'the complicated mess of being a woman'". The Guardian. Retrieved January 19, 2017.
  8. ^ "Angel Olsen Playlist - Adding Some Glam To The Gloom". Nme.com. January 22, 2014. Retrieved February 17, 2014.
  9. ^ Paul Lester (January 13, 2014). "Angel Olsen (New band of the day No 1,676) | Music". theguardian.com. Retrieved February 17, 2014.
  10. ^ Jump up to: a b c d Bevan, David (March 24, 2014). "Angel Olsen Will Be Heard". Spin. Retrieved September 1, 2016.
  11. ^ Jump up to: a b Appelstein, Mike. "Angel Among Us: An Oral History of Angel Olsen's Time In St. Louis". Retrieved September 1, 2016.
  12. ^ Lamont, Tom (March 30, 2014). "Angel Olsen: 'I had to learn someone else's songs. Now I teach people my material'". The Guardian. Retrieved July 28, 2020.
  13. ^ "PearShaped Magazine Archive | Angel Olsen". Pearshapedarchive.com. Retrieved August 28, 2020.
  14. ^ "Strange Cacti 12 EP". Bathetic Records. Archived from the original on February 21, 2014. Retrieved February 17, 2014.
  15. ^ "Half Way Home". Bathetic Records. Archived from the original on February 21, 2014. Retrieved February 17, 2014.
  16. ^ "Angel Olsen". Jagjaguwar. Retrieved February 17, 2014.
  17. ^ Zoladz, Lindsay (February 17, 2014). "Angel Olsen: Burn Your Fire for No Witness Album Review". Pitchfork.com. Retrieved September 1, 2016.
  18. ^ "Angel Olsen Breaks Down Her Smoldering New Jagjaguwar Debut". Billboard. February 13, 2014. Retrieved February 17, 2014.
  19. ^ Fred Thomas. "Burn Your Fire for No Witness - Angel Olsen | Songs, Reviews, Credits, Awards". AllMusic. Retrieved February 17, 2014.
  20. ^ Pearce, Sheldon; Monroe, Jazz (June 6, 2016). "Angel Olsen Announces New Album My Woman | Pitchfork". pitchfork.com. Retrieved June 7, 2016.
  21. ^ Dolanon, Ciara (August 31, 2016). "Album Review: Angel Olsen – My Woman". consequenceofsound.net. Retrieved September 1, 2016.
  22. ^ "Album Review: Angel Olsen - My Woman". Consequence of Sound. August 31, 2016. Retrieved October 10, 2019.
  23. ^ "Angel Olsen: My Woman". Pitchfork. Retrieved October 10, 2019.
  24. ^ Snapes, Laura. "Angel Olsen: All Mirrors". Pitchfork. Retrieved June 25, 2020.
  25. ^ "Most psychedelic sensory overload music videos on Youtube". Happymag.tv. October 5, 2019. Retrieved October 10, 2019.
  26. ^ Taylor, Luke (May 7, 2017). "The Current's Guitar Collection: Angel Olsen, 1979 Gibson S-1". The Current. Retrieved April 25, 2020.
  27. ^ "Angel Olsen". Angelolsen.com. Retrieved August 28, 2020.
  28. ^ "Angel Olsen". Angelolsen.com. March 30, 2021. Retrieved May 7, 2021.
  29. ^ Jump up to: a b Joyful Noise Recordings. "Tim Kinsella sings the songs of Marvin Tate by LeRoy Bach featuring Angel Olsen". Joyful Noise Recordings. Retrieved February 18, 2014.
  30. ^ "Angel Olsen Shares New Johnny Jewel Remix". Pitchfork.com. April 9, 2020. Retrieved April 9, 2020.
  31. ^ "Mark Ronson Remixes Angel Olsen's "New Love Cassette"". Pitchfork. June 18, 2020. Retrieved February 11, 2021.
  32. ^ "Angel Olsen Covers "Mr.Lonely"". Pitchfork. September 16, 2020. Retrieved February 22, 2021.
  33. ^ "Sharon van Etten, Angel Olsen Share New Song 'Like I Used To'". May 20, 2021.
  34. ^ "Angel Olsen: Aisles EP". Pitchfork. Retrieved August 25, 2021.
  35. ^ Greene, Jayson (December 11, 2019). "The Best Rock Albums of 2019 - Angel Olsen: All Mirrors". Pitchfork. Retrieved February 22, 2021.
  36. ^ "My beau, I'm gay". Instagram. Retrieved April 16, 2021.
  37. ^ Smith, Clyde F. (June 20, 2014). "Full List of 2014 A2IM Libera Award Winners". Hypebot. Retrieved July 7, 2021.
  38. ^ "2017 Winers". libera awards. Retrieved July 7, 2021.
  39. ^ Jump up to: a b c Houghton, Bruce (April 24, 2017). "Nominees A2IM'S Indie Music Libera Awards". Hypebot. Retrieved July 7, 2021.
  40. ^ Jump up to: a b Brandle, Lars (April 4, 2020). "Chance the Rapper, FKA Twigs, Courtney Barnett & More Shortlisted For 2020 A2IM Libera Awards". Billboard. Retrieved July 7, 2021.
  41. ^ "2021 Libera Award nominees announced". Guitar Girl Magazine. March 23, 2021. Retrieved July 7, 2021.
  42. ^ https://www.dailycal.org/2016/12/29/daily-californian-arts-awards-music-2016/

External links[]

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