Song of the Lark and Other Far Memories

When Angel Olsen released her fourth full-length studio album, <i>All Mirrors</i>, in 2019, it was with the promise of a second companion record, which duly arrived a year later in the form of <i>Whole New Mess</i>. Where <i>All Mirrors</i> had burned with opulence—as Olsen explored weathering change against a minor-chord palette of larger-than-life strings and haunting vocals—its sister record saw the Asheville-based artist strip it right back. These were raw, grainy versions of the tracks that would eventually appear on her fourth album. “I like to show where things start and how messy they are before they get to a point where they’re digestible for people when they come out,” Olsen told Apple Music at the time of <i>Whole New Mess</i>’s release.<br /> What she didn’t mention was that there would be a third edition, <i>Song of the Lark and Other Far Memories</i>, featuring both albums and a disc of remixes (see Mark Ronson’s dark, trippy take on “New Love Cassette”), reworks (the <i>Whole New Mess</i> track “Waving, Smiling” gets a stirring, cinematic update) and a cover, of Roxy Music’s “More Than This”. The 28 tracks here are testament to just what fertile ground Olsen found in her subjects, from heartbreak and change to isolation and hardship. And, drawn together, they capture Olsen in all her glorious multitudes: an artist who is at once dazzling and vulnerable, playful and insular. Showing that, it seems, was always the point. “When I go out into the music world and I build my platform, I'm putting on wigs and glam dresses and putting on tonnes of makeup,” said Olsen. "Normally, when I get home, it's a different story. It's a different person. It's a different life. I am not afraid of being myself with people, and I need people to know that. I needed to know that, I think.”