All Mirrors – Angel Olsen

BY NEAL MARTIN | OCTOBER 23, 2019

Whatever happened to male musicians? Do you remember them? They once dominated the music landscape with legs astride and priapic Stratocasters spewing riffs over their adoring audiences. Every now and again they might let a woman enter their world, if she showed talent (Janis Joplin, Carole King or Kate Bush) or, even better, just looked super-hot (everyone else). As the misogynistic music industry reluctantly accepted that God made man and woman equal, it was found that the fairer sex is far more musically gifted, which is why over the last decade we have been ruled by Beyoncé and why Rihanna, Adele and Billie Eilish sell squillions of records. That’s why the most innovative and interesting artists are fueled by estrogen rather than testosterone. Around this time of year, I begin to compile potential albums of the year in my head, and this year I don’t think anyone with a willy will get a look into the top ten. It’s as if male rock stars have said everything that needs to be said and resigned themselves to knocking out the same old sounds, riffs and clichés.*