Adrianne Lenker on Bandcamp.
What beautiful nonsense. I’m a recovering Big Thief fan—I enjoyed their first album and quickly fell off when I realized that they can only rewrite three different songs—but even I have to admit I was struck by “Fool.” What a hook. “Fool” makes me remember that Lenker is a creative guitar player, despite seemingly having no sense of humor or human emotion in her songwriting (I’m sure she’s seen an Adam Sandler film) and having an unbearable sense of preciousness that Big Thief fans seem happy to indulge in. (Big “I’d vote for Obama a third term” Thief.) None of this is my business, of course; some music listeners want this otherworldly preciousness that feels unattainable in life. Nothing wrong with suspense of disbelief or pretending that Karen Dalton doesn’t exist. “Fool” is the moment on the new record that put my Big Thief eh-ness on ice and focus on what sounds like the inner workings of homesick co-worker birds gossiping at each other.
-Brady Gerber
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