The Current’s Album of the Week is the brand-new release from Angel Olsen called Big Time. Olsen’s musical style has varied from record to record, and this time she’s gone into the territory of what makes the genre of country music so compelling. The music is honest, it’s vulnerable, and most importantly, the music tells a relatable story. 

In the last two years, Angel Olsen experienced some big and heavy life events. She went through a breakup, found new love, came out as gay, and sadly, she lost both of her elderly parents. That’s a lot to experience and process in two years. And what better style of music to process all these big and complicated feelings of the heart? Olsen nails it with her choice to embrace the sound of classic country.

Needless to say, Olsen had plenty of material to cull from her personal life for the new record: Love and loss, living her truth by being open about her personal life, the experience of grieving two parents dying in a short amount of time. Big Time takes the listener on a journey through this period of personal growth and how we, as humans, take all the things we experience and carry them forward with us. Change and growth are inevitable. 

In an interview with NPR’s All Things Considered, Olsen said "I've always been obsessed over dark and light, and things that pass. Sometimes you can change so much."

I’m a self-proclaimed sucker for classic country music and songs that explore the darker times of life, which is why I'm so drawn to this new album. The heartaches and pains explored by some of the great voices like Tammy Wynette, Patsy Cline, and Skeeter Davis, combined with the sound of 1960s Nashville, is as good as any ointment I’ve ever tried to heal a wound. I hear a lot of that sonic inspiration in Big Time. The pedal steel alone has been known to bring me to tears because it's a sound that evokes so many feelings in country music — the sound of regret, loneliness, and sadness. To my ears, the pedal/lap steel instrument sounds like it is crying. But what comes after a good cry? Relief, resolve, peace, and with some hope, a path forward. 

Highlights on the record include "Big Time", "Ghost On", "This is How it Works", and my favorite song so far of 2022, "All of the Good Times". 

Angel Olsen’s new album Big Time is out now, and you can catch her live as part of the Wild Hearts tour with Sharon Van Etten and Julien Baker, coming to Surly Brewing Festival Field on August 9. 

External Link

Angel Olsen - official site