Bright Future

Recorded
Released

There’s that old tired trope about “[City] Being Another Character” in a film. The idea that the setting of the thing is so prominent, so baked into the bones into what you’re experiencing that it becomes as important as the action on screen. The same could be said for tape hiss. The pillow of hiss becomes another level of constant comfort on Big Thief singer Adrianne Lenker’s latest solo album Bright Future. It’s an album of more pillowy sounds, an exploration of softness and sadness that, like the majority of her output, feels raw and straight to the point without ever crossing over into cloying over-sentimentality. Highlights include the tone poem “Real House,” all dark piano and light, light, ever so light touches of violin. The John Prine-y “Fool” and “No Machine” — the latter festooned with babbling background vocalization — are just a small taste of a collection of heartbreaking songs that soar past the small pockets they emerge from.

Amelia Riggs

Suggestions
The Wild Hunt cover

The Wild Hunt

The Tallest Man on Earth
Emmett Finley cover

Emmett Finley

Emmett Finley
Wilds cover

Wilds

Andy Shauf
Middling Age cover

Middling Age

Tim Kasher
Punisher cover

Punisher

Phoebe Bridgers
Zach Bryan cover

Zach Bryan

Zach Bryan
The Rockingbirds cover

The Rockingbirds

The Rockingbirds
Bobby Charles cover

Bobby Charles

Bobby Charles