Angel Olsen
Live At Ms. Small’s, Millvale, PA
Last night, I saw one of the top 5 concerts I have ever seen; the wonderful ANGEL OLSEN. Juliana Barwick opened up and did a real great job. By her self, she sounded like Anna von Hauswolff and Yann Tiersen combined with a choir of hundreds. She sings and then plays a loop over which she vocalizes with herself. Very impressive.
But the star of the show was Angel Olsen. She came out in a beautiful green dress while her band (extraordinarily tight, by the way) came out in light blue suits, making a very stunning contrast. Olsen won over the crowd easily with her mix of sad, slow numbers and bouncier, yet sad rockers. And when she and her band rock, they put most bands to shame. And Olsen’s voice: imagine Roy Orbison as female, and you have Olsen. Playing with her band which includes Emily Elhaj (bass), Joshua Jaeger (drums), Stewart Bronaugh (guitar), and guest guitarist Seth Kauffman, she played one and 1/2 hours of beautiful music. All I know, if you have a chance, go see her. Trust me: don’t believe the hype. Angel Olsen is like no one ever. I don’t cry, seriously, but Olsen makes me cry.