Angel Olsen’s third album is one of two halves. It opens with five short, exhilarating tracks that fizz with attitude and immediacy. “Heaven hits me when I see your face,” she sings on Never Be Mine. A moment later she’s telling someone to “shut up kiss me hold me tight”, with no punctuation to allow for second thoughts. The love affairs invoked here are un-straightforward but their expression is gloriously direct. In the second half, the pace slows, the songs stretch and the 29-year-old grows more introspective. “Melancholy” is a word that follows Olsen around, but here she sounds more assured, even in her darker moments, and her strong, versatile voice is as extraordinary as ever.
