Album Review: Big Red Machine’s Collaborative Spirit Reigns on 'How Long Do You Think It’s Gonna Last?'
Big Red Machine’s sophomore project is a masterclass in the power of the musical community.
Written by Grace Robertson
Photo courtesy of Graham Tolbert
In 2006, Bon Iver lead singer Justin Vernon drove from Raleigh, North Carolina to his father’s cabin in Wisconsin, switching into survival mode to subsist through the bitterly cold winter. Besides hunting for his food, Vernon spent his winter making what’s since become widely regarded as one of the best indie folk albums of all time: For Emma, Forever Ago. Following the album’s release and subsequent critical acclaim, Aaron Dessner of the National sent Vernon an instrumental sketch of the song “Big Red Machine,” a swelling ballad that later appeared in a larger collaborative project, which featured a collection of notable names in music, including Sufjan Stevens and Spoon. After 10 years of working on their own solo projects, Dessner and Vernon formed the band Big Red Machine and released their debut album in 2018 — an experimental, amorphous record that mixes electronica with Bon Iver’s classic falsetto and layered choruses.
On August 27, the duo released its second record, How Long Do You Think It’s Gonna Last? True to form, the album delves into an abstract, experimental place that both Dessner and Vernon bravely explore. According to an interview with the New York Times, Dessner describes it as “a laboratory for experimentation” with friends. How Long Do You Think It's Gonna Last? is an exploration of musical community built on the creativity of 13 other musicians, including talent ranging from Taylor Swift and Fleet Foxes to Anaïs Mitchell and La Force, all of whom Dessner and Vernon have either befriended or networked with. Dessner also uses the record to showcase some of his signature sonic motifs: recurring musical patterns that build into odd time signatures and arrhythmic beats soundtracked by numerous vocalists. In addition to its collaborative quality, the project takes a more structured form throughout; Dessner's electronica-studded and autotuned abstraction complements Vernon's poignant lyricism and warm timbre, thus grounding the album.
Dessner serves as the head-architect of How Long Do You Think It’s Gonna Last? While he only sings solo at a few points on the album, most notably “Brycie” and “The Ghost of Cincinnati," it is his ability to harness and blend the artistry of multiple musicians that makes the record so special. His strength as a producer allows the many voices of the project to shine through without overlap. Featuring Taylor Swift, “Renegade” demonstrates a natural progression from the singer's previous albums folklore and evermore, both produced by Dessner. In the track, Swift chronicles an anxiety-fueled relationship alongside Vernon’s distinctive warm harmonies and percussive bursts and guitar riff. In contrast, the autotune-heavy “Easy to Sabotage” reflects Vernon’s 2016 project, 22, A Million, and features spiking time signatures that send the song forward in shuddering bursts.
Image courtesy of Jagjaguwar
Sitting at an hour and four minutes, the album has a hefty runtime. But Dessner’s meticulous composition creates an immersive sonic environment that keeps the listener engaged. Vernon’s consistent vocal harmonization also steadies the record, giving songs depth and continuity. Throughout How Long Do You Think It's Gonna Last? Vernon moonlights as both the lead singer ("New Auburn") and the back up vocalist ("Phoenix"), offering ample sonic space for his creative counterparts. "New Auburn" sees Vernon duet with Anaïs Mitchell, while "Phoenix" nearly loses the singer in blaring trumpets and euphoric vocals from Mitchell and Fleet Foxes.
Despite all of the noise and crowdedness that a grand collection of artists bring, the most profound moments of the record come at its most simple. “Brycie,” backed by mirrored, interlocking guitar lines and a clicky drumbeat, explores Dessner’s relationship with and gratitude for his twin brother, the National guitarist Bryce. Like many other songs on the album, Vernon’s soft harmonies uplift Dessner's: “You know my thoughts before I know / I wore it out, you wore me down / You watched my back when we were young.” In an Instagram Live posted earlier this year, Dessner called the song a love song to his twin and the life that they partly share. “Brycie” succinctly summarizes the album's larger themes: fleeting childhood innocence, loneliness and togetherness, healing and anxiety.
These themes percolate in the confessional, “Ghost of Cincinnati,” where Dessner (an Ohio native) paints a vivid picture of the city and his own cyclical anxiety: “‘Cause I’m over myself / I’m over the hill / I’m Over-the-Rhine / For the millionth time.” Dessner and Vernon’s ability to tell their own intimate stories through the voice of others is especially clear on “Hutch,” a song written for Dessner’s friend, the late Frightened Rabbit frontman Scott Hutchison. Accompanied by a soul-stirring piano melody, tambourine, and three other artists, Vernon confesses his guilt and regrets about his friend's death.
For every quietly devastating moment on the album, the listener finds solace in the choir of voices offering support. Their theme of togetherness comes not only from the evocative lyrics about the guilt, anxiety, and joy that accompany love, but from the spirit of collaboration. This record took a, quite literally, musical village. After nearly two years in isolation, it’s a profound experience to hear Big Red Machine’s community of musicians find joy in the sheer beauty of making music, together.