On her single We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together, Taylor Swift complained about an ex’s admiration for “some indie record that’s much cooler than mine.” Then she made two of her own during lockdown – the Folklore and Evermore albums, largely in conjunction with multi-instrumentalist Aaron Dessner. If they were a gateway drug for some Swifties to depart pop and explore the more esoteric worlds of Dessner’s high end indie band The National and Swift’s occasional duet partner, Bon Iver, here’s the next step.
Big Red Machine is Dessner’s side project with Bon Iver’s Justin Vernon. While their self-titled first album from 2018 was more experimental and relied on Vernon’s distinctively multilayered vocals, this one welcomes newcomers with a single sung by Swift, Renegade, which is light and upbeat and would fit neatly onto her own recent albums. Then it introduces numerous other great singers, including Ben Howard and Kate Stables from This is the Kit on the gently looping June’s a River, Robin Pecknold of Fleet Foxes and Anaïs Mitchell on the sunset country stylings of Phoenix, and Sharon Van Etten, Lisa Hannigan and Shara Nova on the uneasy computer beats of Hutch.
It’s a broad canvas, though the tone is largely slow and stately, pushing together the electronic and organic in a way that feels natural and very beautiful. It also finds welcome space for this man known for his collaborators to get personal, singing for the first time on tracks including Brycie, a touching tribute to his National bandmate and twin brother.
