Missouri-born singer-songwriter Angel Olsen first emerged in 2011 with the hazy sounds of her Strange Cacti EP, displaying a hauntingly beautiful voice that would likely provide enough drive on many of the tracks had there been no instrumentation. Sure enough, her proper 2012 debut Half Way Home saw many tracks with only Olsen and her guitar, allowing the sheer power of her sultry voice to drive the tracks. It worked incredibly well. Everyone was now becoming aware of one of the best voices in modern music – including indie aficionados Jagjaguwar, who signed Olsen for her newest and most compelling effort yet, Burn Your Fire For No Witness. Much like the vastness displayed in Olsen’s collaborations with Marissa Nadler, her newest record is one that is driven by contemplation, emptiness and loneliness. Along with the help of drummer Josh Jaeger and bassist Stewart Bronaugh, Burn Your Fire For No Witness takes Olsen’s songs in a couple new directions, while still never stealing away from the highlight: Olsen’s strong singing and powerful prose.
Aside from picking up a couple new bandmates, Olsen also saw some new studio experiences for Burn Your Fire For No Witness. With John Congleton at the mixing boards, who has worked with everyone from St. Vincent, to Baroness, to Explosions in the Sky, her songs are given new life. From the driving distorted guitars of “Forgiven/Fogotten” to the broad, sweeping nature of “White Fire”, her songs are noticeably more powerful. Not all of the tracks on Burn Your Fire For No Witness are evolved in this way however; many of the songs on the latter half of the record sound more like the stripped down nature of her kitchen-recorded EP Strange Cacti, just without being lathered in reverb. “Enemy” is a deep and melancholic slow-burner that has nothing, but a lightly strummed acoustic guitar driving the tempo. Olsen’s voice manages to float gracefully overtop as she recalls events of her past. These moments, along with the 7-minute opus “White Fire” may not be the most accessible to all listeners, but are easily the most engaging tracks on this LP. They are both subtle and incredible in the way that they gracefully develop into larger portraits as each song ends.
That’s not to say that the more explorative tracks on Burn Your Fire For No Witness aren’t enjoyable. The gentle, breezy folk-rock displayed on tracks like “Stars” is incredibly well done, proving Olsen’s voice compliments a “band” sound just as perfectly as it does a solo guitar. Even on tracks like the powerful album ender “Windows”, the addition of some simple backing instrumentation give the song and album it’s gentle and grandiose finish – not to mention how incredible Olsen’s voice sounds when accompanied by an organ. “Lights Out” is another song that utilizes the skills of Josh Jaeger and Stewart Bronaugh, but would have nothing if it weren’t for the embellishment of Olsen’s strong vocal melodies. Though the instrumental layers on this song sound great, “Lights Out” is one of many moments on Burn Your Fire For No Witness that would sound beautiful (maybe even stronger) if it were Olsen’s voice alone.
Though this album deals with themes of isolation, contemplation and belonging, Olsen doesn’t sound completely dismal in her introspection. She even pokes fun at such moments, like the chorus of “Hi-Five” where she asks the person sitting next to her “Are you lonely too? Hi-five! So am I”. According to Olsen, Burn Your Fire For No Witness is “a collection of songs grown in a year of heartbreak, travel and transformation”, and it is visible on the albums surface. One of the albums opening lines clearly outlines Olsen’s struggles with love: “I wanted nothing but for this to be the end – if all the trouble in my heart would only mend”, and these themes continue until the album closes. Yet, it’s clear that Olsen is delivering these emotions with a grain of salt – like in “Lights Out” where Olsen states “if you don’t believe me you can go ahead and laugh, if you’ve got a sense of humour you’re not so bad”. Instead of letting her emotions dampen her music, she harnesses them and gives new life to these songs, making for some of her best songwriting to date.
Burn Your Fire For No Witness is an album that highlights Angel Olsen’s already established strengths, as well as one that takes her songwriting to the next level. John Congleton, who’s brought acts like St. Vincent to fame has done a great job of lending Olsen’s fantastic voice to a fuller sound, while still being able to make quieter tracks like “White Fire” all the more engaging. Though the production changes from track to track – from the cloaked sounds of “Unfucktheworld” to the garage rock-lined “Forgiven/Forgotten”, the album stays connected as a whole, and is made intensely alluring through Olsen’s troubled croons. It is not only her strongest, but her most diverse effort yet, and is likely only the beginning of a successful career as one of America’s greatest modern voices.
Rating: 4.2/5