Adrianne Lenker
Announces Two New Albums,
songs And instrumentals
Out 23 October on 4AD/ Rhythmethod
Adrianne by Genesis Baez
Big Thief’s Adrianne Lenker announces two new albums, songs and instrumentals, out 23 October, and today presents a new single, ‘anything’.
‘anything’ is a look into Lenker’s introspective and quietly magical catalogue. Backed by soft fingerpicking, Lenker’s magnetic voice references a flurry of memories and beautiful imagery -a hot sun, juicy mango, family fighting on Christmas eve, a circle of trees. It’s a deep and unflinching love song. As the track continues, its pulse held steady by Lenker playing her guitar with a paintbrush, her words get more abstract: “weren’t we the stars in heaven // weren’t we the salt in the sea // dragon in the new warm mountain // didn’t you believe in me?”
Listen to Adrianne Lenker’s ‘anything’
Taken from songs
Out 23 October on 4AD/ Rhythmethod
songs and instrumentals are two distinct collections, both written and recorded in April after Big Thief’s March tour was abruptly cut short due to coronavirus. After returning to the US from Europe, Lenker decamped to a one room cabin in the mountains of western Massachusetts. “I grew really connected to the space itself,” says Lenker. “The one room cabin felt like the inside of an acoustic guitar –it was such a joy to hear the notes reverberate in the space.”
With a hankering to capture the feel of the space, Lenker enlisted the help of engineer Philip Weinrobe, gathering a mass of tape machines, a binaural head, and a pile of XLR cables. After almost three weeks of setup and troubleshooting, the studio finally was operating –although the only functioning tape recorder the duo had was Phil’s battery powered Sony Walkman. Although at peace with the idea that they might just be recording the whole record on cassette tape, a friend was able to dig a Otari 8 Track out of storage and deliver to the pair right before they’d lost all hope. Nine of these songs were written freshly during the recording session. Lenker and Weinrobe began and closed each day with an improvised acoustic guitar instrumental, later making a collage of their favourite pieces, which became the first side of the instrumentals album. “We wanted to make a record that put you, the listener, in the most intimate position possible,” explains Weinrobe. “I had a handful of songs that I was planning on recording, but by the time Phil arrived I was on a whole new level of heartsick and the songs were flying through my ears,” says Lenker. “I was basically lying in the dirt half the time. We went with the flow. A lot of the focus was on getting nourishment from our meals. We cooked directly on the woodstove, and we went on walks to the creek every day to bathe. I’m grateful that this music has come into existence. These songs have helped me heal. I hope that at least in some small way this music can be a friend to you.”
This recording is 100% analog-analog-analog (AAA). No digital process was used in the production of this sound recording. Weinrobe describes the process in more detail: “Not only does this process allow for a very specific type of sonic experience to come alive, but the process also dictates how we work. The fine-toothed editing and micro adjustments that every modern record relies on are not available. The computer screen is not glowing while the music is being recorded. The entire workflow becomes a part of the music in a way that is simply not possible when working in digital audio. AAA is a very labor and resource intensive process and it has a wide array of limitations compared to digital record making, but there is no other way we could have achieved both the capture and delivery of this music without it.”
The albums’ stunning covers are watercolour paintings by Adrianne’s grandmother, Diane Lee.
songs and instrumentals will be packaged together on double LP, CD and cassette. ‘anything’
songs Tracklist
1. two reverse
2. ingydar
3. anything
4. forwards beckon rebound
5. heavy focus
6. half return
7. come
8. zombie girl
9. not a lot, just forever
10. dragon eyes
11. my angel
instrumentals Tracklist
1. music for indigo
2. mostly chimes songs
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