Writing for Americana UK is frequently a gift, and this was certainly true this week. Having not heard of the last chain gang offering, this writer had to dig a little deeper. Meg Olsen is the other half of “Until the End of the World”, and from the sound of it, she is equally as talented as Grammy Award-winning producer David Cobb, and her husband Ian Webber with whom she works.
Despite being born in Nashville and raised in Las Vegas, Meg Olsen only started writing music as a casual hobby. Olsen makes writing songs sound easy, and her languid singing effortless. Unsurprisingly, her vocal work has taken over from her day job, and she is in many bands and duets.
Clearly ludicrously talented, Olsen has flown under everyone’s radar, even Americana UK’s. Her sound is reminiscent of Mazzy Star yet updated like Howling Bells. While her sound is not particularly original, it is still a welcome addition to the genre. Perhaps that genre would be “Western dreamfolk” which sounds more like a scented candle or children’s story, but so does her music.
The song ‘Deal from the Bottom’ first appeared on an EP in 2012, before being released on ‘Charade‘ in 2014. It is her only solo album to date. The swing-time song is quiet and resigned to its wistful musings on romance’s pointlessness. The guitars, of which there are many varieties, are simple and melodic. The cherry on this birthday cake of a song is a mellotron that sounds like a seaside fairground crying. This is Americana at it’s sweetest and at it’s saddest.
