Having sold out her first Melbourne sideshow at The Corner Hotel soon after it was announced, the addition of a second Angel Olsen gig was a forgone conclusion. The folk-tinged indie artist wowed audiences when she toured early last year and with latest album, My Woman, receiving rave reviews, tickets have been in high demand. Headlining the much larger Croxton Bandroom tonight, a colourful cross section of Melbourne music lovers converge upon the Thornbury venue for an evening they soon won’t forget.
The Croxton Bandroom is fast approaching capacity when the lights dim and support act Jack Ladder materialises on stage. A towering presence with a haunting baritone, comparisons with Nick Cave are often prevalent, even from the girl at the merch desk this evening, who described him as “like a young Nick Cave.” But while the comparison may be easy, there’s a lot more to him than a carbon copy of Cave. There’s a dark humour to his lyrics of love and loss, and when combining with his brooding guitar work and captivating stage presence, it’s hard to fault the authenticity in his talent.
Performing without his backing band The Dreamlanders makes this performance all that more personal. The normally synth heavy Come On Back This Way and Her Hands transform into balladic numbers, giving Ladder’s voice an open platform to reach the far corners of the venue over the swirling guitar licks. Older tracks Hurtsville and Beautiful also get a look in, and although it’s obvious that most in attendance aren’t familiar with his work, he’s an engaging frontman with his dry sense of humour and captivating vocals making it hard for anyone to ignore him. I have no doubt he picked up a few new fans that night.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nleRCBhLr3k]
There’s nervous excitement in the air as the crowd waits what seems like an eternity for Olsen to appear. Almost an hour after Ladder’s exit, the curtain finally parts to reveal Olsen and her five piece band at the ready. The cheering and catcalls quickly subside as Olsen launches into the country swagger of Never Be Mine.
The following hour and a half flies by as Olsen entertains with a set heavy on tracks from her past two albums, 2016’s album of the year contender, and 2014’s sleeper hit Burn Your Fire For No Witness. The 60s pop explosion of Shut Up Kiss Me, downtrodden Heart Shaped Face and sombre Give It Up elicit hearty applause, with Olsen sporting a playful smile as she rocks out.
Her band – dressed in identical light blue suits and white shirts – provide the perfect backdrop for Olsen’s lyrics on love, romance and heartache. Not Gonna Kill You is given extra depth with the dulling guitars while the harmonies on the rocking Forgiven/Forgotten and indie-folk Lights Out are a thing of understated beauty. Olsen herself is a bewitching figure. Stood front and centre with her guitar firmly strapped across her body, there’s a touch of Sharon Van Etten about Olsen’s gothic country stylings and emotionally poignant lyricism. While her songs often deal with lost love and broken hearts, she’s good natured and humours, wishing one punter named Charlie a happy birthday and asking the crowd where she can go rolling skating (the answer is Sunshine Roller Skating Centre).
Olsen slips in one of her first recordings (Drunk And With Dreams) for longtime fans before finishing her set with the explosive indie thumper Give It Up. The inevitable encore is only two tracks long, but lasts almost 15 minutes. Joined by her guitarist and bassist, she then gets behind the synthesiser for Intern, the first single off My Woman. As the song comes to a close the rest of her band re-appear for an epic version of Woman. Lasting almost 10 minutes, Olsen serenades the crowd with her soothing vocals, and as she leaves the stage for the final time, it’s easy to see why she will continue to fill larger venues as her body of work increases.
Image: Stereogum
We can all agree that the feeling of love is as confusing as it is wonderful. It brings on strong emotions, from curiosity to happiness to deep sadness to anger that can so easily spiral from one extreme to another in a blink of an eye. Angel Olsen’s My Woman captures what it’s like to feel some of those emotions from one side of a relationship, and how to accept that you must let go.
We open with the sweet sound of Intern. Straight away, it shows us the beauty of falling in love and wanting to do anything to protect that from dying before the flame ignites. Her light voice sings above the simple bass melody that shines with hints of electric keyboard. She sings, “I don’t care what the papers say/It’s just another intern with a resume/I’m gonna fall in love with you someday” as she sets us up for what we are about to hear.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r248o_rUfKE
The sound completely changes as we move to Never Be Mine. Her folk-like voice glides above the strumming guitar as she sings a song of heartbreak. In a letter to a lost love that never was, she is regretful that the relationship is over, but lets it go in acceptance. “I watch you turn and walk away,” she sings. I wish it could always be that simple.
The next few songs Shut Up Kiss Me and Give It Up are lit with a fiery passion and desperation. It is, however, Not Gonna Kill You that caught my attention before it even started. With a title as blunt as this, it’s hard not be a little bit curious. Its sinister vibe lies in the haunting harmonies and the deep sound of the music. The hard sound of the music and shouting tone in her voice reflects a ‘tough love’ reaction to these feelings of pain that come with loving someone so deeply. Although the pain is so real, you wouldn’t want feel anything less.
“A love that never seems to curse or to confine/Will be forever never lost or too defined/However painful let it break down all of me/’Til I am nothing else but the feeling.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nleRCBhLr3k
It’s not until Heart Shaped Face that we have slowed down to more gentle display of tenderness. She’s heartbroken by the loss of the relationship, but still accepts that it can’t be saved. “I never wanted to be someone who had to leave it all behind/Even still there is no escape for what I face, I faced before/Have whatever love you wanna have/But I can’t be here anymore.”
The album’s longer songs allow the listener time to reflect on their past relationships, which is what happens when we hear Woman’s mostly slow and sad melody. It makes you think about how they ended. Were you ready to let go straight away? Did it take some convincing? Do you now understand why it had to end?
Olsen asks her partner “to understand what makes [her] a woman” with such strength that anyone would admire. It is as if she wants to save her relationship from turning to dust. At the same time, however, she wants to feel as positive about the loss as she believes the other person does. She still knows that this would not be a proper reflection of how she actually feels deep inside. She perfectly portrays the confusion that comes with losing someone you care so deeply about, and not being able to express exactly how it makes you feel. “I’d do anything/To see it all/The way that you do/But I’d be lying.”
We end with Pops, which drips with a Lana Del Rey atmosphere. The drowned out effect on her voice likens the track to the sound of an old record playing; something that has been hidden for a while, but is ready to be pulled out for a spin. The piano melody is slow and heartfelt. Olsen is lost and full of emotion as she says goodbye to her relationship. Halfway through the track, however, the emotion in her voice escalates. It’s hurt and angry, but it quickly begins to understand.
We are left with a haunting final line. “I’ll be the thing that lives in the dream when it’s gone,” she sings before the piano guides us away.
Throughout the album, I was imagining what these songs would sound like live. With emotions as strong as these, it’s only natural to wonder. We’ll just have to wait for Olsen’s Australian Tour in November and December to see for ourselves.
My Woman is available now.
Image: Pitchfork
Last month, American folk and indie-rock singer Angel Olsen shared the video for her song Shut Up Kiss Me in support of her upcoming album MY WOMAN (out through Jagjaguwar via Inertia Music). Now, the St Louis native, whose projects remain many and varied, has followed it up with the visuals for her latest single, Sister, along with the announcement she’s going to be embarking on a tour down under off the back of her festival dates here.
Sister is the third single from MY WOMAN which is set up as a proper A-side/B-side record and is reflected in Sister, a softer, more contemplative and reflective track than the the previously released Intern and Shut Up Kiss Me. A beautifully meandering song offset by a magnificent instrumental interlude, it runs for almost nine minutes and serves as a brilliant contrast to the faster, punchier offerings. The video was shot over this year’s Northern Summer at the Joshua Tree National Park and moves in an exploration of suburban landscapes with contrasting cutaways, close up portraits and wide, expansive shots.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-mIA1r2ZELU
It’s the first of the three videos that Olsen didn’t direct solely on her own, this time enlisting a co-director in Conor Hagen to bring a different approach to the video. Speaking on the video, Olsen explained that she wanted to slow the frames down enough for the cinematography to make a statement of its own, which it certainly does. The landscapes alone are mesmerising, especially sound-tracked by the song. She added that her aim “was to gather a mixture of very different themed material, and somehow take a look at the synchronicity that material naturally brought forward.”
Angel Olsen Australian Tour Dates
Fri 26 Nov – Grand Pooba, Hobart
Sun 28 Nov – Corner Hotel, Melbourne
Thu 1 Dec – Lismore City Hall, Lismore
Fri 2 Dec – Brightside, Brisbane
Mon 5 Dec – Sydeny Opera House, Sydney
Wed 7 Dec – Grace Emily Hotel, Adelaide
Thu 8 Dec – Badlands, Perth
Image: supplied
It’s video roundup time! Once again, Howl And Echoes are coming in hot with the freshest, most eyeball-stimulating music videos to be dropped by the artists you love and some of the artists you don’t know you love yet this week. We do all the dirty work and herd them all into one convenient web-based location for you to enjoy every Friday so that you don’t have to. Have yourself a good old gander at the latest offerings from:
Clipping – Wriggle
First up is the California rappers Clipping and their frenetic new single and video for Wriggle. The title track from their recently released EP, the track has some distinct early Outkast vibes about it, a rapid-fire backbeat over almost industrial production, Daveed Diggs spitting in time.
The video is a whirlwind of pop culture gifs melded together with footage of Diggs, a frantic experience for both your eyes and your ears with plenty of gems from the world of film and television and viral sensations thrown in to the mix.
Wriggle is out now on Sub Pop.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5msWb1l2j6g&feature=youtu.be
Angel Olsen – Shut Up Kiss Me
From Cali to North Carolina (via way of St. Louis) next for songstress Angel Olsen and her new single Shut Up Kiss Me. It’s the second taste of her third studio album MY WOMAN due out later this year. Olsen warbles over a lone classic rock guitar riff before the band kicks in to the chorus. It’s a grunge-y and more energetic change of pace from the first synth-driven slow-burner Intern (which was still a ripper song in its own right).
The video sees Olsen donning the same silvery bob from the video for Intern, this time having an absolute whale of a night out and looking like an utter badass posting up out of the sunroof of her car and cutting shapes all over a roller rink among a whole lot of other fun looking activities.
MY WOMAN is out September 2nd on Jagjaguwar via Inertia Music.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nleRCBhLr3k
Torii Wolf & DJ Premier – 1st Remix (ft. Dilated Peoples)
Next up is the encouraging new collaboration between New York singer-songwriter Torii Wolf and hip-hop royalty DJ Premier, who has remixed Wolf’s debut single 1st, throwing his own little twist on it including a turn from Dilated Peoples. The result is stunning: a gorgeous piano melody, Wolf’s ethereal vocals and hard-hitting bars from Rakaa and Evidence over a methodical beat colliding as one here.
The video features a short introduction with the Wolf meeting the Dilated Peoples guys and discussing with DJ Premier his vision for the remix. From there we get scenic shots of Wolf driving a drop-top interspersed with intimate shots from inside the recording studio as each artists takes their turn creating the song.
There’s no official release date for Wolf’s forthcoming album Flow Riiot just yet, but the fact that it has been produced entirely by DJ Premier leaves us with great expectations for its eventual arrival.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XbXxxHH6JNg
Boys Noize – Birthday (ft. Hudson Mohawke and Spank Rock)
To a huge meeting of minds here on the new single from Berlin producer Boys Noize. Featuring one of his contemporaries in Hudson Mohawke and Baltimore MC Spank Rock, Birthday is the title, the very last track from his recently released fourth studio LP Mayday.
The production positively shimmers here before kicking into overdrive and banging like a screen door in a cyclone, Spank Rock providing the hook of “every day I wake up feel like my fucking birthday”. The accompanying video is a cracker too, the basic concept being a wild birthday but shown in reverse, it’s almost calming watching its subjects go from absolutely ratters at the end of the night to open the video to calmly swinging in the park by its conclusion.
Mayday is out now on POD via Inertia Music.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9-1EqDI8Lng
Vera Blue – Fingertips
Heading back home now with Sydney siren Vera Blue and her latest single Fingertips. It comes from her recently released EP of the same name and is utterly mesmerising, gentle acoustic guitar melding with pulsating synths and Vera’s breathtaking vocals. The chorus will drop the floor out from under you.
The video focuses heavily on the aforementioned fingertips, though the song itself is more about the terrible things social media can do to a relationship. Vera navigates her way through some kind of odd string-filled room before finding herself in a disorienting maze of sheets. It’s stellar stuff from production house Paper Moose here.
The Fingertips EP is out now on Mercury Records.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JHgr1nCpt1A
Skegss – My Face
Byron Bay party animals Skegss aren’t slowing down in 2016, releasing their brand new single My Face a couple of weeks back and now giving it the video treatment. It’s the first taste of their forthcoming sophomore EP Everyone Is Good At Something. The tune is a sub-three minute lo-fi punk belter, the kind that gets you nostalgic for old Blink-182, all scuzzy guitars and droning vocals.
The video starts following a typical day in the life of frontman Ben, enjoying a sunny stroll before being accosted by a pair of wolf-men, who give chase (in between copping feels of each other) before settling their differences the only appropriate way (over a pint).
Skegss are heading out on a national tour to support their next EP with Dumb Punts and Verge Collection in August. If you’ve not seen them live you need to take a good look at yourself.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jgdUo-S-JpA
DMA’s – Timeless
Sydney’s DMA’s are presently taking over the world off the back of this year’s enormous debut album Hills End. Having just finished wrapping up a surprise turn at Glastonbury, the boys have released their latest single and video from that album for Timeless. The track is the same kind of rollicking Britpop number, it drives along relentlessly, full of fuzzed out guitars and sporting an absolute chest-beater of a chorus.
The video flat out rules too. Shot in black and white, it features the DMA’s boys enjoying what looks like a cracker of an evening with more than a few pints flowing down the local with a gang of senior citizens. Plenty of feel-good moments here.
Hills End is out now on I Oh You.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B9lTxqpCNLc
The Strokes – Threat Of Joy
Having stormed back into the spotlight with the release of their Future Present Past EP a few weeks back along with a set for the ages at this year’s Governors Ball in their hometown New York City, The Strokes have been on a roll as they prepare for a world tour that includes a stop in Australia for Splendour In The Grass. Threat Of Joy was one of three new tracks on Future Present Past and The Strokes have given it a wildly imaginative video this week.
The song is vintage, jangly Strokes, pleasant and summery with frontman Julian Casablancas’ unmistakeable voice the anchor. The video follows a shifty government agency (who all wear pig masks) and their search for the stolen footage of the as-yet-unseen music video for lead single Oblivius. Just the latest from a band who have made some of the most iconic music videos of this generation.
Future Present Past is out now on Cult Records.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IJNgvS-sA-s
Image: YouTube