By Hanna Wilson
Contemporary folk artist Adrianne Lenker is the only musician I have seen in concert who sings their most heart-wrenching song first, instantly turning her adoring fans into a collective sobbing mess before introducing herself to the crowd.
Since the age of eight, she has been writing her own songs, and her natural brilliance for creating technically impressive compositions is reflected in the success of her albums with her band Big Thief, as well as in her ongoing solo career. The depth of emotional awareness she integrates into every song makes songwriting seem so effortless, and I think that is a gift that very few present-day musicians possess.
She may have her riveting, movie-like life story to thank for an endless well of songwriting inspiration. From her brief time spent in the religious cult she was born into, to living out of a van travelling the Midwest with her parents, and dropping out of school to pursue music as a teenager, her early life has been anything but ordinary. However, she did return to her education, enrolling at the Berklee College of Music in Boston, where she would meet her future ex-husband and lifelong bandmate, Alexander Buckley “Buck” Meek. Yet, these examples alone hardly capture the amassed heartbreaks and near-death experiences she’s faced throughout her 33 years of life.
Lenker’s gift of crafting her weighing emotions into beautiful unfurling melodies is maintained in her newly released single “Feel Better.” The track appears on Disc 6 of the expansive TRANSA album, released by the activist music organization Red Hot Org. In a positive attempt to feature 100+ artists—including the likes of Sade, Clairo, and Faye Webster—this project gracefully pays tribute to transgender voices, ultimately creating a comforting safety net for artists and listeners alike. In “Feel Better,” Lenker offers her listeners her sensible yet ragged vocals, paired with one of the many open guitar tunings she is accustomed to. The track loosely follows the narrative of an undefined relationship, beautifully painting the uncertainty that comes with the feelings of love. It is overall an exceptionally moving contribution to the TRANSA compilation album.
My typical taste in music largely consists of tracks sung by “losers” with mops for hair. But ever since I stumbled upon the song “Velvet Ring” by Big Thief in the ninth grade, I always find myself coming back to Adrianne Lenker’s music. Sometimes for calming background music, or maybe for a good crying session, but mostly for comfort. So, as you can imagine, I was a weeping wreck when I got to witness her sing some of my favourite songs at her Montreal show last month. Her seemingly tough demeanour quickly diminished when she stepped onto the stage with the biggest smile, and throughout the show as she kept repeating, “Your voices sound so beautiful together,” to the crowd. She mainly performed tracks off of her two most recently released solo albums, Songs and Instrumentals and Bright Future, but of course while taking short breaks to tune her guitar and sip from the three different beverages she brought on stage with her—which my friend and I jokingly concluded were: water, tea, and straight vodka! It was overall a heartwarming show with breaks of emotional tinges, making it an unforgettable evening for everyone in attendance.
Adrianne Lenker has shifted this generation’s definition of sadness by showing listeners that it can be comforting, endlessly beautiful, and healthy to explore one’s vulnerabilities. If her music has somehow not made it into your life yet, this is your sign to listen to one of her or Big Thief’s many masterful albums, which perfectly encapsulate all the joys and pains of life.