musicbriefs
1:58in production/ 1:58 · ceiling 15 min
Pop

All Mirrors

Angel Olsen · 2019

Olsen enlarges the setting around her voice until private emotion acquires orchestral scale.

All Mirrors was released in 2019 and co-produced by Angel Olsen and John Congleton. Earlier versions of several songs later appeared on Whole New Mess. That parallel material helps establish this album as a particular interpretation of the writing, with arrangement central to its identity.

Pop
Worth your time?

Yes. Hear the whole thing.

What works
    What does not
      Hear it if
      • Listeners interested in dramatic vocals and elaborate arrangements
      Skip it if
      • Listeners who prefer Olsen in a sparse acoustic setting
      The written brief1 min read

      What the record is and where it came from

      All Mirrors was released in 2019 and co-produced by Angel Olsen and John Congleton. Earlier versions of several songs later appeared on Whole New Mess. That parallel material helps establish this album as a particular interpretation of the writing, with arrangement central to its identity.

      How it sounds, and how it was made

      Strings arranged by Jherek Bischoff and Ben Babbitt meet guitars, synthesizers and a substantial low end. Olsen’s voice occupies a more elaborate setting than her early recordings. The orchestral resources make changes of emotional scale something the production can enact.

      What lands

      “Lark” and the title track provide clear entrances into the expanded approach. The production gives vulnerability a public, dramatic form without requiring the singer to sound emotionally secure. The arrangements are most persuasive when they enlarge a feeling already present in the voice.

      What does not

      The scale can overwhelm the listener or make individual songs feel overdetermined. Those drawn to the earlier work’s unadorned quality may experience the added layers as distance. A consistently heightened setting also leaves less room for emotional understatement.

      The ideas inside it

      Exposure and spectacle can coexist. The record suggests that private uncertainty may become more legible when given a large arrangement, while also testing how much presentation a vulnerable voice can carry.

      Who should hear it, and who should not

      Hear it if you enjoy singing framed by substantial orchestral and electronic colour. It is less suitable when an intimate recording means very few instruments to you.

      Is it worth your time

      Yes. Compare the scale of the title track with your response to Olsen’s voice; the question is whether each makes the other more compelling.

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