Adrianne Lenker is a singer, songwriter and guitarist. She’s a songwriter for a band called “big thief” and she’s well known for her solo career. Her songs are mostly in the alternative/indie rock/ folk genre and her themes (to me) are about childhood, unrequited love and poverty. I can’t say I’m completely accurate, as I am just discovering her music in the car. But as far as Wikipedia says, she’s cool. Seriously though, her music is like a breath of fresh air to me. She depicts childhood, living in a rural area, lost love, hardships with self-harm and family troubles in such a colorful, captivating way. She uses her experiences to craft these songs, and I think it’s ridiculous how well she does it. Today I will be talking about 2 of my favorite songs from her and sharing why they are so interesting to me.
- Half Return
A little preview :
(Illinois toll road, Indianna plain
Roll the windows down, shoot at the change
Half return, Half return
Standing in the yard, dressed like a kid
The house is white, and the lawn is dead
Half return, Half return)
I’m 99% sure half return is my favorite because of the imagery and storytelling. Her voice adds a lovely touch, but the message and imagery behind it is so rare and crucial to me. The picture of a white house with a dirty lawn reminds me of the rural town I came from. Seeing those conditions in every neighborhood yet the children playing despite it was such a tearjerker. To say that this song makes me relive those moments is an understatement. It’s more like another experience itself.
Ingydar
A little preview:
(Fragilely, gradually and surrounding
The horse lies naked in the shed
Evergreen anodyne decompounding
Flies draw sugar from his head
His eyes are blueberries, video screens
Minneapolis schemes and dried flowers.)
Indygar is so beautiful. Its about a dead horse and how its body is being eaten by animals and nature, the whole message about how we must return to what we were. But the words and the metaphors/comparisons in this song is why I love it so much. For example, I thought it was incredible how she compared the horse’s dead eyes to blueberries and video screens. Almost like its being witnessed by a child or a person unfamiliar with dead animals. All the grassy, farm vibes made this song really stick out to me. The message and poetic scheme of her music never fails to amaze me.
I love Adrianne Lenker! I haven’t heard these songs though so I’m glad I was able to find them through you, and the way you described them and their relation to you is beautiful.
I have heard the half return before. I really like that song