Big Thief is Adrianne Lenker’s collaborative songwriting project. Several songs have been posted since her last official release, "a-sides" in 2014. Her music is often sentimental and rarely steps outside conventional folk arrangements, so what is that in there—bold and arresting? She stands apart from many musicians carrying on the folk/bluegrass tradition in that she never gets lazy—all her tracks are different, her songwriting is on point, and her voice can stand perfectly alone as well as melt into anything it touches. She delivers clarity. The vocal harmonies in “a-sides” thaw over spare strumming and tell stories of death by Lake Superior, travels by the Mississippi River, and countless other places impossible not to fall in love with. Her earlier records “b-sides” and “Ours Were The Birds” can’t go without mention as they offer a great catch of Lenker’s even more powerful solitude. Big Thief played a bunch of shows in March and we’re looking forward to hearing more. – Leora Mandel
We added this song to The Deli’s playlist of Best folk songs by emerging NYC artists – check it out!