“I love the way you take a walk,” Angel sings on Acrobat. Her songs unfold like those walks, which lead you down paths, and circle back through life while you were lost in thought. Angel Olsen’s simple lyrics become pure wordplay, reflecting the rustic, earnest quality of her powerful voice.

Dealing with complex emotional undertones, Olsen hints at her struggles without spelling it out, leaving room for any audience to relate. In Miranda she sings, “I don’t condemn you for being so wise / you’ve only crossed the line that I’m standing beside.” She tells the story of modern struggle, of the past, of relationships and mixed feelings.

Olsen displays a self-awareness that makes the poetry of singing such a beautiful act. Her words balance skepticism with doubt, seemingly aware of their own ironies. In the eerie yet charming Always Half Strange, she lets out some of her most passionate croons, singing “In my mind I knew well / what I wanted you to be / in this world I know the lover never really is / who he is to me.”

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