Angel Olsen – Aisles
Angel Olsen's new EP of 80s cover songs is a simple concept, executed spectacularly
In August 2020, amid the struggles of lockdown and getting to grips with live-streamed performance, Angel Olsen decided to record covers of songs from the 80s. Made alongside engineer and producer Adam McDaniel, the resulting EP was part of an effort for Olsen to bring joy back to making music – a need, she says, to “laugh and have fun and be a little less serious about the recording process in general.”
The first release on Olsen’s new Jagjaguwar imprint, somethingscosmic, Aisles is a simple concept, executed spectacularly. The carefully selected tracks are a mix of the familiar and unfamiliar; songs she’s overheard at family gatherings or while wandering in a supermarket. In addition to Laura Branigan’s Gloria, Olsen takes on hits like Billy Idol’s Eyes Without a Face, OMD's If You Leave and Alphaville’s Forever Young.
Some are close renditions while others have been entirely reimagined, but all are imbued with Olsen’s unique brand of heartbreak. Gloria is slowed down and dressed in ambient synths, augmenting Branigan’s lyrics to take on a sombre new significance.
Without grand purpose or intent, Olsen has taken the opportunity to create something spontaneous – if only to prove that she can.
Listen to: Gloria, If You Leave