Angel Olsen — Cosmic Waves Volume 1 [somethingscosmic]
With the help of the Bloomington, Indiana-based label Jagjaguwar, Angel Olsen has started an imprint of her own. Today that label, somethingscosmic, celebrates its second release with Cosmic Waves Volume 1.
Angel Olsen is a singer-songwriter (with Chicago roots), who has released a handful of critically acclaimed albums in the last decade-plus, starting with Half Way Home in 2012 and her most recent Big Time in 2022.
The ten songs collected on Cosmic Waves feature five artists who Olsen admires followed by her interpretation of songs by each. That includes the music of Poppy Jean Crawford, Coffin Prick, Sarah Grace White, Maxim Ludwig, and Camp Saint Helene.
Cosmic Waves Side A
Cosmic Wave begins with the rage of Poppy Jean Crawford’s “Glamorous.” The fury of Crawford’s vocals paired with distorted and shrieking guitars peak, plateaus, then plunges into the second track, “Blood,” courtesy of Coffin Prick aka Ryan Weinstein.
Coffin Prick is the singular form of Weinstein’s band with Chris Thomson (Circus Lupus, Monorchid, Skull Control, et al) and is another Chicago connection. Created in his Los Angeles home studio, Weinstein’s “Blood” is a driving electronic pop song propelled by a funky bass line.
The album pumps the brakes for a slower trip on the Sarah Grace White tune “Ride”. It’s a subdued journey with minimal instrumentation that highlights a haunting melody.
Maxim Ludwig follows with the piano ballad, “Make Believe You Love Me.” It’s a bit maudlin but earnest with a cinematic feel that sets the scene for lost love and regret. “Wonder Now” from the Catskill, NY-based group, Camp Saint Helene, features soft vocals over a somber and folky song that allows for well-placed ominous guitar swells.
Cosmic Waves Side B
The flipside to this cosmic showcase is Olsen’s version of five tracks by the featured artists. They’re stripped-down affairs in Olsen’s style of vulnerable vocals and (mostly) acoustic guitar.
Olsen takes on Crawford’s pop tune “The Takeover” with a more understated approach. For the Coffin Prick cover, “Swimming,” Olsen converts Weinstein’s trudging plunge into a lighter dip while Sarah Grace White’s “Sinkhole” trades guitar for sparse piano chords, and like the rest, highlights Olsen’s vocals above all. Ludwig’s “Born Too Blue” is another haunting tune with reverberating vocals and the finale of Camp Saint Helene’s “Farfisa Song” skips the organ but keeps the slow, dreamy feel of the original.
Cosmic Waves Angel Olsen Release Event
Tonight, December 6, Angel Olsen hosts a release event for Cosmic Waves at In The Meantime in Los Angeles with performances by Sarah Grace White, Maxim Ludwig, Camp Saint Helene, Poppy Jean Crawford, and Coffin Prick (DJ) plus special guests. — Chris Auman