Angel Olsen announced she will be releasing a box set, Song of the Lark and Other Far Memories, featuring her albums All Mirrors and Whole New Mess on May 7 via Jagjaguwar. Along with the box set announcement, Olsen has shared an alternate version of her song “It’s Every Season (Whole New Mess).”
“It’s Every Season (Whole New Mess)” features Olsen’s isolated vocals echoing over a soft acoustic guitar. She creates a haunting sound as she croons, “I really didn’t change, really didn’t change,” describing how she’s trying to “get back on track.” The acoustic version highlights her raw talent, her eerie vocals accompanied by a slight hum while she croons and calls. “Make a whole new mess/ Celebrate the best/Take a photo for the press again,” quiet horns balancing against her lyrics, their tunes dragging along as she reflects on herself. Drums begin to slowly beat, a quiet piano dancing as the track begins to build.
The original version of “Whole New Mess” includes a slower, more haunting tune, the guitar reverberating. The electric guitar on the original features a darker sound than the alternate version, Olsen’s voice adding some brightness to the track. The original also does not feature the instrumentals toward the end, which serve as a way to carry the track’s eerie feel.
Olsen had recorded “It’s Every Season (Whole New Mess” during the sessions for All Mirrors, and features brass arrangements by Nate Walcott. Her original version only features vocals and an electric guitar, while the alternate version includes drums, bass and brass.
“It feels like part of my writing has come back from the past, and another part of it was waiting to exist,” Olsen said of the forthcoming box set.
Song of the Lark and Other Far Memories will be limited to 3,000 physical copies, which will include the two albums, a bonus LP titled Far Memory and a 40-page book collection. Part of the inspiration for the box set is that Olsen had originally conceived All Mirrors and Whole New Mess as a double album. The box set will also features alternate takes, B-sides, remixes and remimaginings.
Olsen joined Cass McCombs, Bob Weir adn Noam Chomsky for the song “Don’t (Just) Vote” last October, with the singer releasing an 11-minute track titled “Time Bandits” on Instagram that same month. In December, she joined Kim Gordon, J. Mascis, Fred Armisen, Death Cab for Cutie and others for the 2020 SMooCH Guild Virtual Benefit.
Far Memory Bonus LP Tracklist:
1. All Mirrors (Johnny Jewel Remix)
2. New Love Cassette (Mark Ronson Remix)
3. More Than This
4. Smaller
5. It’s Every Season (Whole New Mess)
6. Alive and Dying (Waving, Smiling)
All Mirrors Tracklist:
1. Lark
2. All Mirrors
3. Too Easy
4. New Love Cassette
5. Spring
6. What It Is
7. Impasse
8. Tonight
9. Summer
10. Endgame
11. Chance
Whole New Mess Tracklist
1. Whole New Mess
2. Too Easy (Bigger Than Us)
3. (New Love) Cassette
4. (We Are All Mirrors)
5. (Summer Song)
6. Waving, Smiling
7. Tonight (Without You)
8. Lark Song
9. Impasse (Workin’ For The Name)
10. Chance (Forever Love)
11. What It Is (What It Is)
Photo credit: Owen Ela
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