Adrianne Lenker – songs Review
It is intimate, honest and vulnerable, and fundamentally moving as a result
Following a successful year with Big Thief, “songs”, alongside the simultaneously released companion album “instrumentals”, is Adrianne Lenker’s latest solo effort – and it continues the momentum of the favourably received “UFOF” and “Two Hands” of 2019, with more beautiful and emotive indie folk. Originally unplanned, the albums were written as Lenker isolated herself in a wood cabin in the forests of Massachusetts, taking refuge from the hustle and bustle of city life and touring which had characterised her past 5 years after the pandemic brought Big Thief’s tour to an abrupt end. Like much of her work, both solo and with Big Thief, there’s a real cosiness and intimacy to the sound, like we too are in that log cabin while listening to the album.
We are introduced to two of the main themes of the album straight away with “two reverse” and “ingydar”: respectively, heartbreak and nature. The former yearns for a past love with a real vulnerability – heard not only in the lyrics (“Is it a crime to say I still need you”) but also in her voice itself. The more interesting of these two tracks however is “ingydar”, from which the chorus (“Everything eats and is eaten”) is one of the most memorable from the album, focusing on the cyclical and symbiotic nature of life. There is something slightly dark and haunting about this track, particularly instrumentally, with a slight dissonance to the guitar melody and an urgency to its tempo, contrasting with Lenker’s lullaby-like vocals.
“anything” is the lead single and, ultimately, the stand-out track. Lyrically, it harks back to memories of a past relationship, which we can presume was her relationship with Indigo Sparke which ended not long before the writing of this album began. The nostalgic nature of the lyrics (“Mango in your mouth, juice dripping; Shoulder of your shirtsleeve slipping”) is accompanied by a dreamlike, swirling instrumental – with fairly sparse, folky guitar which feels warm, cosy and tender. However, there is a real sadness to it too; it is clear that she misses the intimacy of this relationship, with both its highs and lows.
While there is a dark beauty to all of the songs on this record, with the images of nature found throughout the sombre “forwards beckon rebound” or the lullaby-like sounding “heavy focus” with its lyrics describing a haunted cemetery, the next song which really grabs my attention is “half return”, which picks the pace up a little. Similar to “anything”, the lyrics feel very nostalgic, but are framed in a much more negative light (“The house is white and the lawn is dead”; “Rusty swing-set, plastic slide”). It seems to me to be a description of a return home for Christmas, but with only the wintry cold and no familial warmth. Instrumentally, despite the faster tempo, it takes the same tone as the rest of the album, with the cyclical guitar patterns woven throughout its runtime – a very classic, but pretty, singer-songwriter style.
However, that said, as the album progresses that style can begin to drag, with little to no new musical ideas being offered. It is clear, though, that pushing musical boundaries is not Lenker’s aim – it is to reflect and meditate during her first chance for repose in years. This reflection is clear in “zombie girl”, in which she contemplates her relationship with silence and emptiness: “Oh, emptiness; Tell me 'bout your nature; Maybe I’ve been getting you wrong”. This song is intimate, open and, for possibly the first time on this album, quite optimistic as she looks to heal from her need to have something or someone there at all times. Instrumentally, of course, it is exactly as expected but this sparseness complements the purpose of the track perfectly.
The last three tracks, “not a lot, just forever”, “dragon eyes” and “my angel” while not necessarily standing out for me, all still contribute to the simple beauty of this album. They all still feature Lenker’s vivid lyric writing and the sparse but encapsulating instrumentals which characterise each of the songs on “songs” – which as a whole features no truly “weak” tracks.
As a whole, “songs” is one of the most endearing albums released this year – a year which has been particularly strong in terms of singer-songwriter releases. In a way, I find it hard exactly to put my finger on what makes it so good but there is something really enchanting about this album nonetheless. It is intimate, honest and vulnerable, and fundamentally moving as a result. In this way, “songs” is another record from the prolific Lenker which just hits, and this is largely thanks to her unique voice and poetic song-writing.
