Recommended tracks: “Incomprehensible,” “Grandmother,” “All Night All Day”
Similar artists: Alex G, Indigo De Souza, Leith Ross
For Adrianne Lenker, Buck Meek, and James Krivchenia, Big Thief is the culmination of their solo artistry and careers. Their latest album, Double Infinity, sees them diverge in the parallels between the earth and body and how time affects both. Double Infinity sees the group offer a new sound with collaborations from the legendary Laraaji, Mikey Buishas, and many more as the group uses drones, tapes, and other interesting instruments to create an otherworldly experience. The experimentation pays off with a 9-track LP that feels like a recreation of the cycles of time and life.
Starting with the single “Incomprehensible,” the band looks back onto a childhood long gone with grey hairs starting to settle in. The song takes no time to establish that there is nothing to be afraid of and finds the value in the passing of time with the line, “How can beauty that is living be anything but true?” A connection between the earth and the body is also established with the line “Let gravity be my sculptor, let the wind do my hair.” The drones throughout the song, compliments of Laraaji, set the tone of the more ethereal sound of the album that departs from the more acoustic releases of yesteryear. This sound complements the lyrical tone of the album by making the listener feel out of their own body in a meditative and cosmic way.
In “Words,” a more live sound harkens back to Big Thief’s previous releases. Detached lyrics and a free-flowing melody are complemented by Lenker’s much more delicate singing as she states that “words don’t make sense.” A song about your mind failing you, this approach to the lyrics makes sense as filters and panning only further highlight the sense of detachment. The chorus and fuzz on the guitar in the post-chorus are nothing short of incredible and create a slow chaos that builds throughout the song. In the outro, the acoustic instruments return to slowly fall apart.
Double Infinity was recorded in nine-hour sessions over three weeks in the middle of winter, with the songs picked out of improvised arrangements. The intro of “Lost Angeles” reflects this atmosphere well, with the band slowly leaning on each other to create the backing track. Much more steadfast in pace, the song recounts joyful reunions and love that has lasted a lifetime apart. Time feels too short yet too long with lines such as “Has it only been two years? Feels like forever.” The line, “The picture box is full and we are kissing in a fistful of fragments falling down” sparks imagery as the past and present weave between each other effortlessly. The fuzzed-out guitars, not only in “Los Angeles,” but the entire album, sound like a sound effect from a classic sci-fi show, adding to the planetary motif.
Adrianne Lenker’s approach to love in songwriting is well known, and “All Night All Day” is another song to add to her rich registry. Unapologetically about love, the bongos subtly add a lighter tone as compared to the tom drums of the start of the album. Soft string-sounding tape loops in the background have a swaying quality, adding to the loving tone. In the chorus, Lenker laments, “Swallow poison swallow sugar, sometimes they taste the same, but I know your love is neither,” showing the unfiltered and shameless dedication of a lover. Adding to the lighter, more delicate tone are the pretty piano keys, which close off the song and highlight the organic, live recording.
“Double Infinity” follows and is the midpoint of the album. One of the slow-paced songs of the album, the distance between each instrument makes the atmosphere feel larger as the cycles between change and growing circle through the lyrics. Aging returns to the forefront as the band asks to see “through the crystal cage of aging.” Time is a construct added onto society as we ponder “What is forming / what is fading,” and at what point is life not new. Correlations between the body changing with the earth are also sprinkled into the lyrics, offering a spiritual look into the fact of growing old.
“No Fear” is the longest song, and it sinks into the earth. At seven minutes long, it differs from others on the album by starting with a focus on the bass guitar rather than the acoustic. There is attention brought to filling up the soundscape with foliage rather than rhythm and structured patterns, which establishes the meditative nature.
“Grandmother” also features multi-instrumentalist Laraaji as Big Thief grapples with the pain that comes with love as they declare that they’re “gonna turn it all into rock and roll.” One of the songs that the entire band wrote together, it looks at the fragility of places that we love: “so what’s the use of holding / it’s unfolding.” This fearful look into the future doesn’t hold for too long, with the transformation of “I saw sun through the clouds / I saw love through the pain.” The drums are sharp and offer the return of consistent rhythm as the album starts to close off.
An upbeat pace through a rhythm guitar makes its long-awaited return in “Happy with You,” which accepts love without “poisoned shame.” Swelling synths and repetitive lyrics follow along with the themes of cycles as Lenker repeats that she’s “happy with you.” Soon, however, the reflection of a present love comes in the closing song “How Could I Have Known.”
Double Infinity’s themes of time and the earth bounce off each other as Lenker sings “You reminded me of the river” with the chorus’s “How could I have known” feeling like a culmination of the album’s thesis. The live sound of the band takes focus with deeper drums and slower guitars closing the album off.
Big Thief’s Double Infinity shows a change in the band’s sound but holds onto the songwriting, focusing on creating colourful stories and live recordings that separate the folk band from other artists. Each song approaches the ideas of life and love from different angles whilst still presenting a thesis on the honour of growing old in this world. The cosmic sounds created by the band only highlight their artistry and commitment to developing their music as they also grow older.
