Sharon Van Etten & Angel Olsen, Like I Used To.

Duets worth their proverbial NaCl come about only too occasionally. (Chronologically, those which immediately spring to mind include, and are more or less strictly limited to: Don’t Go Breaking My Heart, Islands in the Stream, Little Baby Nothing, Where the Wild Roses Grow, The Boy Is Mine, and This Mess We’re In.) But daubed with a timeless sheen, Like I Used To stands out an instant classic: a collaboration between Sharon Van Etten and Angel Olsen, it boasts great Born to Run grandiosity, a marauding bass line and, as sort of goes without saying, two exemplary vocal performances as the pair reconnect with prior times. “Sleeping in late like I used to/ Crossing my fingers like I used to/ Waiting inside like I used to/ Avoiding the crowds like I used to,” all likely to resonate with listeners worldwide. Few good things have come of this past year-or-so; this is something great, however.

Like I Used To is available now via Jagjaguwar.