So why is Angel Olsen’s My Woman on this best 1,000 albums ever thing?
When I was doing research (read = breach into the land of the nerdly insane) that turned into this best 1,000 albums project, I jotted down the following about My Woman: “Really interesting indie singer songwriter stuff with a darkish grunge edge.” A slightly more refined take might be that Angel Olsen defies description in a delightful way, meshing alt singer songwriting with a powerful rock punch, but I still think my original statement still very much stands as well.
It’s Olsen’s voice – which could easily excel at fronting a more “standard” rock band should she wish to – that pushes this collection of songs into more rarified air. It’s passionate and quirky and can pivot between belting out lyrics with a quieter, breathier mode that helps conjure a unique vibe.
Her quirky inclinations infect the music as well, as best evidenced by “Shut Up Kiss Me,” the best song on the album. It’s catchy and fun while maintaining that slightly melancholy rock base so as make it highly relistenable*.
* Is relistenable a word? Well it is now.
It’s very much a compliment when I state that the chord structure of “Give It Up” could be easily used by a punk band, or perhaps even the likes of a Nirvana. Olsen leveraging that structure into a quietly intense rock number is exactly the kind of music that gets my attention at this stage of my life. Which is to say it’s great.
“Never Be Mine” has the feel of a 1960s crooner updated with Olsen’s very specific influences.
Some stats & info about Angel Olsen – My Woman
- What kind of musical stylings does this album represent? Indie Rock, Alternative Singer Songwriter, Rock Music
- Rolling Stone’s greatest 500 albums ranking – not ranked!
- All Music’s rating – 4.5 out of 5 stars
- When was My Woman released? 2016
- My ranking, the one you’re reading right now – #585 out of 1,000
Angel Olsen’s My Woman on Spotify
A lyrical snippet from Angel Olsen’s My Woman that’s evocative of the album in some way, maybe
Shut up, kiss me, hold me tight.
What does the “best 1,000 albums ever” mean and why are you doing this?
Yeah, I know it’s audacious, a little crazy (okay, maybe a lot cray cray), bordering on criminal nerdery.
But here’s what it’s NOT: a definitive list of the Greatest Albums of All-Time. This is 100% my own personal super biased, incredibly subjective review of what my top 1,000 albums are, ranked in painstaking order over the course of doing research for nearly a year, Rob from High Fidelity style. Find out more about why I embarked on a best 1,000 albums ever project.