One of the hallmarks of Adrianne Lenker’s lyricism is her ability to disrupt narratives and view emotional situations from unexpected angles. So, let’s begin this review at the end: ‘Bright Future’ is an astonishing album, a feast of emotional dissonance that ties your heart into a thousand knots. Without doubt one of the finest, most complex statements to come from Big Thief’s universe of continual creativity, it’s a singular cycle of poetic achievement, backed by production that isn’t so much unvarnished but digs down into the wood’s very seed with the nails of her bare hands. It’s heartbreaking, but somehow you can’t stop listening.
Indeed, the eventual impact ‘Bright Future’ has on you comes as a surprise. On first listen it’s certainly pretty, often understated, and undoubtedly raw. When those songs begin to seep in, however, you’re powerless to stop them, like a butterfly pinned to a board. The title is perhaps a misnomer – ‘Bright Future’ is a record dominated by long distance calls, by a fear of loss and an awareness of its inevitability. Closing – almost literally – on an apocalyptic note, love gives the record life, and its absence feels like an eclipse, void of light.
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‘Real House’ is an opener framed by desperate longing, while the glitchy electronics on ‘Fool’ adding to the almost hyper-intense emotions of the narrator. ‘Free Treasure’ pivots towards Adrianne Lenker’s folk roots, a song with an almost unbearable atmosphere of fragile innocence. The chirruping sounds of ‘Vampire Empire’ sit in opposition to the lyrics of stasis and rot – “the milk has just expired / all the leaves are dead…” – and the sheer venom of “I’m nothing until she kills”.
For its lyrical pain and venom, though, ‘Bright Future’ remains a melodic, prettily enticing experience. The Satie-esque piano chords that underpin ‘Evol’ has a feather-soft appeal, like a Bill Evans deep cut used as a canvas for an indie-folk sketching. The lilting guitar notes on ‘Cell Phone Says’ could be a John Fahey miniature, while Nick Hakim duets on the stunning chorus of ‘Donut Seam’.
As a work of art, the performances – alongside the object itself – are key to exploring what Adrianne Lenker is expressing. The way she plays with words – the “fall-ING” of ‘Vampire Empire’; the “ru-INNED” of final song ‘Ruined’ – suggests a total belief in her lyrics, but also a realisation that language alone is an inadequate vessel for emotional truth. Continually reaching beyond her limits, ‘Bright Future’ stretches Adrianne Lenker past her final restraints. A stunning set of songs, this is an album that whispers its impact long after the last note has finished.
9/10
Words: Robin Murray
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