Angel Olsen - Big Time

I did wonder a while back, whether Angel Olsen was going to be my next noir, American drama queen date. After flirting with Lana Del Ray for a while and then falling for but being utterly turned down flat by Sharon Van Etten, Angel seemed the next obvious choice. I'm talking about listening to records of course.

Angel has been a contender in her chosen field, which let's face it is noir, American drama queen date, for a while now. Churning out records with production line regularity since 2011. I haven't checked them all out. I never really liked her quite as much as either Lana or Sharon and frankly I've never had the time, given how prolific she is.

Her new record Big Time lays its cards flat on the table right from the get go. This is her breakthrough record, the moment when she moves across to the mainstream, centre stage, singing into one of those Fifties, big silver studio microphones, that you see in the movies. To where she's always belonged. In the spotlight. That's the plan ayhow.. But can she walk the walk as well as...

I have no idea frankly. I haven't the foggiest how these things work these days. It certainly sounds like this could be a very commercial record and shift units, given the right record label giving the right record label push.

Angel has definitely filed off her rougher edges over the past few years. She comes across as Johnny Depp's troubled girlfriend in the movies, rather than Nick Cave's troubled one in the graveyard these days. This is probably a record you could play to your mother and she wouldn't necessarily ask you to take it off for a while, if at all.

It all does really strike me as a shot at the big time. Everything seems to have been streamlined for maximum commercial effect and frankly radio airplay. Song titles are devoid of almost any character whatsoever, Dream Thing, Right Now, Go Home, Chase The Sun. So are most of the songs.

It's all perfectly amiable. It might prove to be as Angel's breakthrough moment. Only time will tell. There's nothing actually wrong with this record but frankly it's ridiculously generic. Not to say suspiciously calculated. I wish it well, but personally, I don't really need to hear it again.