[樂評] Angel Olsen - Sister (from the album My Woman)

Angel Olsen 2016 年 9 月發行的專輯 My Woman 絕對是必聽專輯之一 ( 還有 David Bowie 的 ★ Blackstar )，2014 年他推出的專輯 Burn Your Fire For No Witness 以低傳真 (lo-fi)、民謠搖滾的樂風獲得不少佳評，Olsen 似乎不想被定調下來，My Woman 專輯混合了各種樂風與唱腔，最主要顯著的變化是運用合成器的樂風。三支音樂錄影帶 "Intern"、"Shut Up Kiss Me"、"Sister" 皆由 Angel Olsen 與他人合作擔任導演，相當出色。

在專輯的首支歌曲 Intern 的前導 MV 中，Olsen 戴著一頂閃亮的假髮造型唱著 "Doesn’t matter who you are or what you've done."、"Still got to wake up and be someone."，很容易讓人聯想到歌手 Sia，在 ELLE 為 Olsen 做的專訪中他提到「這不盡然是想變成某人的宣言，最有意思之處是戴上假髮創造了一種人格。」而這也是這張專輯的基調：尋找身分與自我認同。

對於專輯的新樂風，Olsen 表示：「人們總認為你想成為某一種代表，特別是你有了新的美學或新的歌曲，而我只是想搞亂他們的腦袋。」新專輯 My Woman 的名稱讓不清楚的記者提問也出了不少包，性別的刻板印象一一浮現，出現像是「你何時要有個孩子」、「做出如此女性主義的宣言是否會讓你擔心喪失掉男性粉絲」等詭異問題。對於專輯標題的模稜兩可，Olsen 回答：「當然人們會問標題的女人是指誰？你就是那個女人嗎？。我只想說我不知道，我也還在找答案。」

專輯中最長達近八分鐘的曲子 Sister，看詞意明顯不是指擁有真實的姊妹或者手足之情，在 FACT Magazine 中的訪談 Olsen 表示：「有時候你愛上了某個人，不一定代表你跟他之間會有後續發展與肢體接觸。或許你受到那個人的吸引只是因為你仰慕某種特質，你需要去瞭解那個人，也許在對每個人下定論之前你要先學著認識他們，最終如此一來你不會那麼受傷。」透過 Olsen 這樣的描述，或許表明了認識他人與認識自己是必要的，唱到最後一句的 "All my life I thought I'd change." 看似消極，Olsen 反覆吟誦接至電吉他的澎湃樂聲與 MV 裏他在沙漠穿梭與沉入水中的畫面橋段之中，最後笑著緩緩離開水面，讓人有了無限的釋懷感。

倒數第二首近似專輯同名曲的 Woman，最後幾段的歌詞唱著：
I dare you to understand
What makes me a woman
What makes me a woman
What makes me a woman

I'd do anything
To see it all
The way that you do

But I'd be lying
Baby
But I'd be lying to you

如此直率的表達可說是整張專輯的主軸，對於自我身分認同最深刻的感受。

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ELLE 為 Olsen 做的專訪全文：
http://www.elle.com/culture/music/a38801/angel-olsen-my-woman-interview/
FACT Magazine 中的訪談：
http://www.factmag.com/2016/09/03/angel-olsen-my-woman-interview/
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Angel Olsen - Sister

Saw it in her eyes
Oh, it wasn't what she said
She came together like a dream
That I didn't know I had
From the sleeping life I lead
All the colors I have seen
I can't help but recognize
The brighter one in front of me
All the truth I thought I learned
And then it finally came along
Turned around and then it's there
All the love I thought was gone

I want to know you
I want to show you
I want to be there
I want to see her
Piece us together
Know it's forever
Show me the future
Tell me you'll be there
I want to go where
Nobody knows fear
I want to follow
My heart down that wild road

Everywhere I go
I can see your face
Alive and gone at once
Hey, that's the way I see this place
And all this blessing was a curse
Before I opened up my heart
You learn to take it as it comes
You fall together, fall apart

I want to know you
I want to show you
I want to be there
I want to see her
Live it through your eyes
Piece us together
Know that this wild road
Will go on forever
I want to live life
I want to die right

Next to you
Next to you
Next to you

All my life I thought I'd change

#AngelOlsen