Country : United States Label : Jagjaguwar Genres and styles : Chamber Pop / Folk / Folk Pop / Folk Rock Year : 2021

BIG RED MACHINE – HOW LONG DO YOU THINK IT’S GONNA LAST?

· by Luc Marchessault

“I am large, I contain multitudes,” Walt Whitman once wrote in the 51st section of his “Song of Myself”. Big Red Machine’s new album How Long Do You Think It’s Gonna Last? embodies Whitman’s free verse on an indie-rock scale. In this largeness that contains multitudes, we find first of all the founding tandem of the project, i.e. Justin Vernon (Bon Iver) and Aaron Dessner (discreet half of the twin duo working in The National), as well as their multiple guests: Sharon Van Etten (indie demi-goddess), Ben Howard (renowned millennial troubadour), Aaron Dessner (other, more visible half of the aforementioned twin duo), Kate Stables (a.k.a. This Is the Kit), Shara Nova (singer and leader of My Brightest Diamond), Robin Pecknold (Fleet Foxes singer), Ilsey Juber (über-composer and singer), Thomas Bartlett (aka Doveman), Ryan Olson (Gayngs leader), S. Carey (Bon Iver drummer and solo creator in his own right), Lisa Hannigan (Celestial Irish), Naeem (ex-Spank Rock), Benjamin Lanz (member of Beirut), Ariel Engle (aka La Force, also with Broken Social Scene), and James Krivchenia (drummer for Big Thief) Oh, I forgot Taylor Swift… as well as the very precious Vermont folkie Anaïs Mitchell, whose three interventions are highlights on How Long Do You Think It’s Gonna Last? On Big Red Machine’s first album, released in 2018, Dessner and Vernon were playing Peter Gabriel in a daring phase. Here, the tone is more reassuring, as if our duo and their guests were on a mission to calm our Covidian neurosis with ethereal and generally evocative folk tunes. Moreover, the musicophile will notice that Justin Vernon’s voice sounds strangely like Pete Townshend’s, when it eludes any synthetic fiddling (this is particularly obvious on “Mimi”). Moreover, listening to “Brycie”, the penultimate piece of this dense collection, we notice that Rumours still influences folk-rock creators, 44 years after its release.

Latest 360 Content

Annie Saumier talks about the OSM 2024 Competition

Annie Saumier talks about the OSM 2024 Competition

Pinnacle of Modern Choral Music at the Azrieli Music Prizes

Pinnacle of Modern Choral Music at the Azrieli Music Prizes

OSL | Antoine Bareil Plays Mendelssohn’s Famous Violin Concerto

OSL | Antoine Bareil Plays Mendelssohn’s Famous Violin Concerto

Arab World Festival of Montreal | Narcy and Omar Offendum: Two Decades of Friendship in Artistry

Arab World Festival of Montreal | Narcy and Omar Offendum: Two Decades of Friendship in Artistry

Örjan Sandred and the Stenhammar Quartet Reinvent Live Electronics

Örjan Sandred and the Stenhammar Quartet Reinvent Live Electronics

Wolfgang Rihm – Jakob Lenz

Wolfgang Rihm – Jakob Lenz

James Ehnes/Orchestre philharmonique de Bergen, dir.: Edward Gardner – Sibelius : Violin Concerto, Serenades, Humoresques

James Ehnes/Orchestre philharmonique de Bergen, dir.: Edward Gardner – Sibelius : Violin Concerto, Serenades, Humoresques

India Gailey – Butterfly Lightning Shakes the Earth

India Gailey – Butterfly Lightning Shakes the Earth

Trio Fibonacci – Max Richter Remixed

Trio Fibonacci – Max Richter Remixed

Collectif9 – Rituæls

Collectif9 – Rituæls

Diana Panton – Soft Winds and Roses

Diana Panton – Soft Winds and Roses

Zouz in These Jours de cendres

Zouz in These Jours de cendres

Julian Gutierrez Vinardell – De Ti Lo Quiero Todo

Julian Gutierrez Vinardell – De Ti Lo Quiero Todo

Violons du Roy | Richness and Vocal Splendor of the Divine Handel

Violons du Roy | Richness and Vocal Splendor of the Divine Handel

Le Vivier | Flashback: Immersive Exploration of the Narcissus Myth for Violin and Electronics

Le Vivier | Flashback: Immersive Exploration of the Narcissus Myth for Violin and Electronics

Arab World Festival of Montreal | New Diva Uprooted From Her Native Palestine

Arab World Festival of Montreal | New Diva Uprooted From Her Native Palestine

Quatuor Molinari | Guido Molinari’s Major Inspiration, 20 Years After His Death

Quatuor Molinari | Guido Molinari’s Major Inspiration, 20 Years After His Death

I can’t stop thinking about the Xiu Xiu show in Montreal

I can’t stop thinking about the Xiu Xiu show in Montreal

Arab World Festival of Montreal | Narcy and Hakawati Omar Offendum meet in the present tense

Arab World Festival of Montreal | Narcy and Hakawati Omar Offendum meet in the present tense

Folk Alliance International 37th Annual Conference in Montreal

Folk Alliance International 37th Annual Conference in Montreal

Emilie Cecilia LeBel – Landscapes of Memory

Emilie Cecilia LeBel – Landscapes of Memory

Nathan Hudson and Ben Loory – Music for Falling and Flying

Nathan Hudson and Ben Loory – Music for Falling and Flying

Yves Cloutier – Fleuve

Yves Cloutier – Fleuve

Subscribe to our newsletter