Angel Olsen's emotive voice effortlessly lends itself to the brokenhearted folk musings that begin Burn Your Fire For No Witness. But when the fat, crunchy, garage rock chords of "Forgiven/Forgotten" stomp onto the second track, Olsen's musical scope emerges as a force far wider and fiercer than first anticipated. After "Hi-Five" finds Olsen's pipes straining into semi-operatic, countrified territory, her extraordinary artistic range becomes all the more impressive.
The Leonard Cohenesque "White Fire" follows its slow-burning charms with the Old West barroom pop of "High & Wild." At one moment, Olsen may sound like an indie reincarnation of Tammy Wynette. In another, she is reminiscent of a contemporary like Sharon Van Etten. Yet for all of the album's stylistic shifts, the production feels unified, and the figure at its center bewitches and hypnotizes.
Olsen, who has collaborated with folk icon Bonnie "Prince" Billy, may well become an icon herself. Burn Your Fire For No Witness balances strength and fragility, frustration and hope, with ethereal ease. Although her record's title might suggest Olsen's work requires no audience to burst brightly, the Missouri-born songwriter is a spectacular talent to behold.
Grade: A-
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