Chris Olsen - Human! Sound! —> & or the record i could never finish (even if i wanted to) | Chris Olsen

Chris Olsen - Human! Sound! —> & or the record i could never finish (even if i wanted to)

by Chris Olsen

supported by

	/

Streaming + Download

Includes unlimited streaming via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.

Purchasable with gift card

€7 EUR or more
Compact Disc (CD) + Digital Album
Includes unlimited streaming of Chris Olsen - Human! Sound! —> & or the record i could never finish (even if i wanted to) via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.

ships out within 21 days

Purchasable with gift card

€12 EUR or more

1.	Into The Air 03:44	buy track
2.	Gas 01:04	buy track
3.	Everything Is New 03:22	buy track
4.	Trust 04:05	buy track
5.	Nothing Person 02:10	buy track
6.	Biomimicry 02:35	buy track
7.	Magic Tricks 02:21	buy track
8.	There Is No Arch And The Punchline Is 02:19	buy track
9.	Her Notebook 04:18	buy track

about

“Her notebook breathes and has two feet. / Those markings draw it out, / The way the world could be.” This is how Chris
Olsen’s first record ends. The ending – utopia as revealed in a lover’s sketches couldn’t be more literal, for Olsen’s debut
literally records a chronology of the musician’s Bildung as life and art conflate. Song by song advancing his sound (no
less than changing conceptions of production and songwriting) and sentiment (no less than love), Human! Sound! —> &
or the record i could never finish (even if i wanted to) chronicles a love story that is brutally linear while tracking a
process that is fundamentally unshuffleable in its transparency. The songs seem layered with that unmistakable
cacophony of a laptop accidentally playing different songs at once. Sounds begin, pause and stop halfway songs,
harmony by mistake becoming harmony by design. In Trust, Arthur Russel’s “that’s us” is inserted for precisely these two
words, sounding more like a song skipped than a sample, though in terms of lyrics – “that’s us” followed by “and that’s
truly trust,” – Russel’s mini-intrusion seems consistent, if not necessary for the song’s resolution. Described by Olsen for
different reasons as “a plagued project” – preserved as a qualityin the title – the album dismantles doom exclusively in
sweet and soft terms. As the album moves to its final tracks, he comes to terms with a factor often found antithetical to
the production and completion of art: bliss. Singing “I’m looking for a story with an ending, / Though we barely fight
about anything. / All the busy nuance is uninteresting… / There is no arch, and the punchline is love”, Olsen finds finality
in a story without ending, a deadline without self-fulfilling prophecy, hinting instead at a future that might as well be –
to confide in a beloved’s doodles – fantastic.

credits

released September 12, 2022

Composition/Production/Mixing: Chris Olsen
Mastering: Jon Chinn
Artwork: Emily Lucas

license

about

Van Dank Brussels, Belgium

SoundCloud

contact / help

Contact Van Dank

Streaming and
Download help

Report this album or account

If you like Chris Olsen - Human! Sound! —> & or the record i could never finish (even if i wanted to), you may also like:

DUSK
by Pale Spring

Pale Spring’s first two albums come to vinyl at last, full of moody, low-lit, trip-hop inspired songs with tender, haunting vocal melodies. Bandcamp New & Notable Jan 16, 2021
go to album
Songs To Whistle When Strolling Along The Abyss
by Mayuko

Lithe, bass-heavy art pop from a German trio classically trained in music and dance, influenced by Björk and Bon Iver. Bandcamp New & Notable Jan 28, 2024
go to album
Instant Light
by Tar Of

Brooklyn's Tar Of bring a sense of levity and charm to their complex, collaged experimental art-pop. Bandcamp New & Notable Sep 29, 2020
go to album
SAD GODS presents "Singing for Survival - a Compilation for Project Onward"
by Various Artists

A stellar compilation featuring shoegaze and indie favorites like Drowse, Midwife, and Mount Eerie benefitting Project Onward in Chicago. Bandcamp New & Notable May 11, 2023
go to album
Homing
by Liis Ring

These evocative ambient compositions are dotted with quiet vocals & distant field recordings, making them feel like a cave in a deep woods. Bandcamp New & Notable May 1, 2023
go to album
A Call to Arms
by Visionist

Visionist showcases vocals for the first time on his Mute debut, featuring collabs with members of Circuit des Yeux, Black Midi and more. Bandcamp New & Notable Mar 5, 2021
go to album
Non-Bloody Martyrdom
by Martyr Group

Another stunning ensemble from Fievel Is Glauque’s Zach Phillips, these two dozen songs showcase his inimitable songwriting style. Bandcamp New & Notable Jul 9, 2023
go to album