Album Review: Adrianne Lenker, Bright Future

On Bright Future opener ‘Real House’, a piano plinks, someone rattles sticks, someone (else?) giggles, and there’s the faint scrape of a fiddle. Then, Adrianne Lenker lilts, with senses acute, through the ecstatic peaks and ominous troughs of her childhood.

It is a sensational curtain-raiser, equalled by closer ‘Ruined’. That tune’s fiercely forlorn vocal, swallowing you whole, is the cherry on top of an utterly captivating and rousing record. Recorded at the forest-hidden, analogue studio Double Infinity, Bright Future co-producer Philip Weinrobe rolled in an Otari inch 8-track and Studer console.

This holy grail of audio recording infallibly captures Lenker, as well as piano player Nick Hakim, violinist and percussionist Josefin Runsteen, and guitarist Mat Davidson. The parlour folk of ‘No Machine’ is achingly beautiful, as is ‘Free Treasure’.

There’s also a severe jackknife to the original recording of ‘Vampire Empire’ by Big Thief, whom Lenker fronts as her day job.

Boasting a wondrous melody over a raucous accompaniment, the tune brings to mind early Modest Mouse. Elsewhere, ‘Already Lost’ winningly captures a bar room energy and sensibility; ‘Donut Seam’ recalls the wry drawl of Bill Callaghan; and ‘Fool’ is a gorgeous dollop of balladry. Bright is the word.

9/10