Up until a few days ago, my only connection with Angel Olsen was that she sang my ‘sad song.’ Everyone has that specific song we turn to when we’re having a lousy day or just need to curl up and cry for a while. Olsen’s “Creator, Destroyer” was my ‘sad song,’ and it was, quite frankly, the only song of hers I was familiar with.
When I arrived at the 9:30 Club for Olsen’s show, I was more than a little curious to see how her other tracks sounded. To be perfectly honest, I didn’t expect hundreds of people to cram themselves in the standing-room only club to see her. I also didn’t expect my opinion of her music to sway that much. By the end of her first song, I found out that I was wrong on both accounts.
Olsen opened the show with “Never Be Mine,” an upbeat track off her new album My Woman. Its folk rock style immediately set the tone that would remain throughout the night. “Hi-Five” and “Shut Up Kiss Me” quickly followed, the latter’s energy-packed chorus prompting a frenzy of movement and jumbled attempts at singing along.
Even though she’s primarily considered a folk singer, it’s hard to constrain Angel Olsen to a specific genre. In her show she effortlessly bounced between blues, folk, indie and rock, establishing herself as an extremely talented and versatile performer. Her heavy vibrato, sultry tone and effortless belt make her the perfect mixture between Jefferson Airplane’s Grace Slick and indie queen Lana Del Rey. It also sets her apart from most other performers.
While the majority of the set was strong, there were sections that lacked energy. This is partly because of the way Olsen writes and performs her music; starting off with slow, ethereal melodies that build into an insurmountable peak of raw power and spot-on belting. It’s as if she plucked the audience up and threw them into outer space, suspending them only long enough for her to gather enough energy to send them crashing back to earth. Those earth-shattering endings were what made some songs worth listening to, yet getting to that point required a small bit of patience.
Despite this, it was extremely clear from the audience’s engagement that few seemed to really mind the lulls. The club was absolutely packed with a variety of people, from box-dress wearing concert connoisseurs to what looked like suit-clad businessmen. Despite differences in appearance, the excitement level was contagious. One of the people beside me even broke out into an epic air-drum solo, his whole body thrown into motion in time to the thunderous beat of “Forgiven/Forgotten.”
At the end of the night, Olsen closed the show similar to how she started it — with a small wave and an unceremonious exit following a two-song encore, leaving the band to filter off at its own pace. The audience around me immediately burst into conversation, some already analyzing and discussing each song, while others simply gushed about the goose bumps Olsen’s voice gave them. As for me, I jotted down some notes, gathered my belongings and headed toward the Metro. I didn’t need any more convincing that Angel Olsen is without a doubt more than just ‘sad songs.’
