by Hayden Godfrey (@HaydenGodfreyy)
When Big Thief’s Adrianne Lenker returned to the United States from a stagnated tour in Europe in April, she escaped to a cabin in the mountains of rural Massachusetts. With the help of engineer Philip Weinrobe, Lenker wrote and recorded two albums that were released through 4AD. The two collections were crafted in a makeshift studio that included jumbled tape machines, a mess of cables, and a uniquely immersive binaural head.
The first record is the accessible and simple songs, which presents a beautifully packaged collection of folk softness alongside Lenker’s signature vocal fragility. The second record, the first side of which is a collage of improvised instrumental passages from the previous sessions, is the more obscure instrumentals.
In almost every imaginable way, instrumentals is an unconventional record, especially when listened to in conjunction with songs, an effort laden with deliberateness and structural warmth. Still, instrumentals is a worthwhile amalgamation of ambient instrumentation that soothes and invigorates any willing ear.
The first half of the album, the 21-minute long “music for indigo,” is the type of loose and droning backdrop that perfectly encapsulates the environment in which it was recorded. With Lenker playing a thuddy, open-tuned acoustic and swirls of harmonic resonance coating the soundscape, its lack of structure both hypnotizes and disorients in the most pleasant of ways.
Perhaps best of all, the album’s first half is ridiculously sincere. Near the end of the collage, one can hear Lenker laugh discretely as she goes about picking the progression. Minutes later, her guitar fades out, leading her to eventually whisper, “I’m starting over.” If songs was a candid expression of folk songwriting, instrumentals is a raw and unedited sequence of recorded sound that brings a whole new level of intimacy.
The album’s second (and final) song is the accurately titled “mostly chimes,” which begins with familiar acoustic noodling that slowly segues into percussive laxity. In a single word, it’s calming. However, this atmospheric euphoria isn’t without its faults. While relaxing, some of the early passages can seem repetitive and pedestrian. Oftentimes, Lenker ruminates on a single idea that sometimes overstays its welcome. The passages may be lovely, but are sometimes settled on for too long.
Of course, instrumentals isn’t exactly an album one puts on to intently study melodic structure or marvel at the brilliance of simplistic songwriting. It’s best enjoyed while studying, reading, meditating, or sleeping, and, if listened to under those circumstances, it’s a serene experience. While not nearly as accessible as Lenker’s parallel songs, instrumentals is a well-produced ambient effort with profound atmosphere. If nothing else, it’s a divinely spontaneous compliment to the rest of her catalogue.