By most accounts, Angel Olsen had a stellar 2016, appearing on our “Best Albums of 2016,” list with her incredible LP, My Woman. To keep the momentum going, Angel Olsen is back and gearing up for a new release.
Today, Olsen announced Phases, a collection of B-sides, rarities and demos from her past few years of work. The new collection will drop November 10th through Jagjaguwar records. “Balancing tenacity and tenderness, Phases acts as a deep-dive for longtime fans, as well as a fitting introduction to Olsen’s sprawling sonics for the uninitiated” a press release states.
The new release will feature songs spanning Olsen’s vast catalogue and sound. From the “lo-fi, sparse folk-melancholy of her 2010 EP ‘Strange Cacti,’” to her more recent work with her glitzy rock-pop My Woman, Phases will span Olsen’s shapeshifting yet cohesive sound. As a snippet of things to come, Olsen dropped two songs off the upcoming release, the album opener “Fly On Your Wall,” and its followup, “Special.”
“Fly On Your Wall,” starts off as a droning folk track, with singular guitar strums and Olsen’s typical crooning as the instrumentals drudge on. The track becomes increasingly dreamy as electric guitars and airy synths create a blurry soundscape for Olsen’s vocals to cut through. The track was part of Bandcamp’s Our First 100 Days benefit project.
“Special,” is a completely different animal. While still melancholy in nature, the seven-minute track is a slow-building jam driven primarily by her distorted guitar-strumming. Drums and other layers are slowly added as Olsen muses about the failure to live up to expectations. Given Olsen’s career, it’s safe to say that’s not the case. Along with the two new released tracks, home-recorded demos “How Many Disasters,” and “Sans,” are also new treats for both new and old fans of Olsen.
You can check out the new tunes below along with the tracklist, and get more Olsen goodness in your headphones on Novebmer 10. You can also catch her on tour throughout the fall.
Phases Tracklist:
1. Fly On Your Wall
2. Special
3. Only You
4. All Right Now
5. Sans
6. Sweet Dreams
7. California
8. Tougher Than the Rest
9. For You
10. How Many Dreams
11. May as Well
12. Endless Road
Photo Credit: Owen Ela
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