Angel Olsen
Cosmic Waves Volume 1
SOMETHINGCOSMIC
Give the soft-spun saint of gossamer goth-pop Angel Olsen credit. After her ’80s-focused covers EP Aisles in 2021 and its breathy takes on Billy Idol and OMD, then that EP’s country-friendly follow-up, Big Time, Olsen’s new release on her own Jagjaguwar imprint finds the Asheville-based songwriter nestled into a happy medium’s meeting place. Cosmic Waves Volume 1 holds the door open for a handful of artists to whom this breathy curator has handed a Good Housekeeping Seal of Angelic Approval, such as husky-voiced shoegaze music-maker Poppy Jean Crawford, Faith-era Cure-like jangle-rockers Coffin Prick, choppy chamber-soul presence Sarah Grace White, languidly ethereal rockers Camp Saint Helene, and the Lee Hazlewood to Olsen’s Nancy Sinatra, big-voiced vocalist Maxim Ludwig.
Each of their tracks within CWV1—especially, the engine-revving “Glamorous” from Crawford and the organ-grinding ambience of “Wonder Now” from Camp Saint Helene—are pretty fantastic, good enough to make you want to hear much more from these artists (which I did, as soon as I digested all of Olsen’s welcome-mat project). To further introduce these like-minded singers and players, and to unite them under her cumulus-clouded, pop-branded umbrella, the lo-fi, heavenly sighing Olsen appropriated each songwriters’ vibe by covering their best moments. Each cover is lovely and wonderful—as good as the originals—with Olsen’s standouts being a dreamy take on White’s slow-jazz folksy “Sinkhole” and a humming, strumming feel for “Farfisa Song” from Camp Saint Helene.
Impressive all the way for all concerned—I can’t wait to hear what Olsen and the crew of Volume 2 have planned, no matter what it winds up being.
