It's been close to two years since Angel Olsen released her sucker punch of a folk EP, Strange Cacti. Angel's smoky and emotional voice that croons over a slow moving guitar immediately transfixed Hank and I here at We Listen For You. Olsen has recently been glued to Will Oldham (Bonnie 'Prince' Billy), appearing on his last two efforts, Wolfroy Goes To Town where she steals the show on "Quail and Dumplings" and on his newest EP, Now Here's My Plan.
After hearing her first offering, "Tiniest Seed", off the new LP Half Way Home, it's clear that her time spent with Oldham has rubbed off on her. The track takes a straightforward folk/bluegrass approach, the only thing making it stand apart is Olsen as a personality, much like Oldham. That's the beautiful thing about folk, anybody can write these songs and tell these stories, but talents like Olsen soar above the group because she holds special qualities that relate to a feeling, something that can't be pinpointed or proven. Her music is special because of that which can never be duplicated or recreated. She is an individual and in the world of folk music, unseen gifts pack the most power.
Its like you read my mind! You appear to know a lot about this, like you wrote the book in it or something.
ReplyDeleteI think that you could do with some pics to drive the message home a bit, but instead of that, this is great blog.
An excellent read. I’ll certainly be back.
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