While albums like Tyler, The Creator’s IGOR and Billie Eilish’s When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go? have dominated the charts over the past year, several artists have recently released albums that should be in contention for album of the year. And while pop and rap seem to be what most listeners are interested in today, plenty of indie musicians, including Angel Olsen, Kim Gordon, Big Thief and DIIV, are making the genre more accessible.
Angel Olsen effortlessly took her indie-pop sound to new heights, releasing a refreshing chamber-pop album titled All Mirrors.
The 11-track album was released on October 3 on Jagjaguwar records. While Olsen has always been transparent in her lyrics, her new album seems to be the most vulnerable in her collection.
On the first single and title-track, Olsen sings, “Standing, facing, all mirrors are erasing” over crashing synths and driving drum beats. Olsen balances her poetic lyrics over intense crescendos leading to mesmerizing climaxes. She takes inspiration from Kate Bush and the sounds of Bush’s 1982 album The Dreaming in her own way, incorporating a 12-piece string section.
On the stand-out track and album opener “Lark,” Olsen sings about trying to find herself after getting out of a failed relationship. The album serves as a mirror for Olsen, as she questions why she suppressed her emotions to the point where she was unrecognizable to herself.
Olsen manages to capture the grandiose in her music with open production values that reflect the sound of the location in which it was recorded: Unknown in Anacortes, Washington, a recording studio in the upstairs room of an old church.
Los Angeles four-piece, DIIV, solidifies its shoegaze and noise-rock sound in its latest release, Deceiver. The band’s third album was released on October 3 on Captured Tracks Records.
Lead singer Zachary Cole Smith focuses on lyrics about his drug addictions and recovery, while the band mixes dreamy, twinkling reverb sounds with raw, distorted walls of guitar.
The dynamics between the catchy choruses, guitar melodies and soft vocals on tracks like “Horsehead” and “For the Guilty” pull the listeners into a soundscape of vibrancy and color.
“Blankenship,” the last single released before the album came out, sets itself apart from the rest of the album, as it takes inspiration from psychedelic rock and is driven by a heavy bass line and droney guitar sounds.
DIIV was able to recapture the classic shoegaze sounds of the 90s without coming off as too formulaic or banal on its strongest work yet.
On October 11, Kim Gordon, a member of the world-famous Sonic Youth, released her first solo album titled No Home Record on Matador Records.
Gordon separates herself from her previous work as she creates a forward-thinking blend of the genres of noise rock, hip-hop, techno and drum-and-bass sounds on her new album.
The album opener “Sketch Artist” starts as a slow song as Gordon experiments with clipping bass sounds and dark production. The next song “Air BnB” has the trademark Sonic Youth feel in her vocal melody and fuzzy guitar sounds.
No Home Record is easily one of the most unique albums to be released this year. Fans would expect nothing less from Gordon. The highlight of the album, “Murdered Out” features Gordon’s iconic raspy voice over loud distorted beats, a muffled bassline and scratchy guitars. The sounds intensify at the end as Gordon sings, “You get lost, come and stand my way, murdered out of my heart.”
While the album blends different sounds and genres of music, it is still cohesive and considered. It is inspiring to know that Gordon is 66 years old and releasing an album that sounds fresh and innovative.
Brooklyn Indie folk group Big Thief released its second album of the year titled Two Hands, on October 11 on 4AD records.
Two Hands is a less polished and raw release than the band’s last album, UFOF, released only six months ago. Two Hands is emotional, imperfect and personal.
According to the band’s press release, “The songs [on Two Hands] were recorded live with almost no overdubs and all but two songs feature entirely live vocal takes.” The recording process adds to the rawness of the release and creates a connection between the band and the listeners.
The two singles “Forgotten Eyes” and “Not,” which Big Thief played live on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, are some of the band’s most thought-out songs. The songs are equally catchy, and the vulnerable lyrics resonate with listeners.
The album is a strong addition to the band’s catalogue and shows the evolution of its warm indie-folk sound.
