When I initially saw this release coming up, I never planned on writing a review because usually live albums aren’t very different from their original releases. However, as soon as I put in my earbuds to listen to it on my walk to school, I immediately knew this album needed to be covered. “Live at Revolution Hall” by Adrianne Lenker has been the most immersive and raw live album I’ve ever heard.
Lenker starts off the album with a backstage recording of her Big Thief song “Blue Lightning.” What I find particularly unique about this live album is that she records many of the songs on a cassette tape, including “Blue Lightning.” While the general consensus would believe this would ruin the quality of the recording, in actuality, it makes it feel more personal. Additionally, this isn’t the first time that Lenker has recorded an album on cassette tapes; one of her most successful albums, “Songs” was entirely recorded on cassettes, such as the songs “Anything” and “Half Return.” Recording the live album on cassettes makes it sound more similar to the original recordings. Though this does make the live versions sound more similar to the originals, one of her strengths is how she changes the way she performs the songs so it can be a special experience for the audience.
My favorite example of this is in “Not A Lot, Just Forever – Live” where instead of it just being her voice and the acoustic guitar like on the original recording, the small addition of a violin harmonizing with her melodies makes the biggest difference. The melancholy lyrics combined with the expressive violin take the song to a whole new level, so much to the point where it feels like a different song.
There are even a few hidden gems buried in her discography that I didn’t listen to before listening to this album helped me discover. For example, the acoustic version of “Little Things” featured on “Live at Revolution Hall” highlights the satisfying chord progression in a way that’s not achievable with the big production in the version from “Dragon New Warm Mountain, I Believe In You.” Though I did listen to “Blue Lightning” before the release of this album, I have grown to prefer this version of it due to the acoustic sound adding to the relaxed energy of the song. Overall, Lenker releasing these live versions allows her to explore different sounds for songs she has already released, especially for songs she originally released with Big Thief that she can make more similar to her solo style.
Even the small details caught in the recording, such as fun moments with the crowd, make “Live at Revolution Hall” feel like you’re really there listening to the performance and add to the overall cohesiveness of the album. One of my favorite examples of this is in “-Now Westlin Winds-” where Lenker reads one of her favorite poems, showing what has inspired her to make these songs.
This only scratches the surface of the details she included to make “Live at Revolution Hall” a unique and immersive album. It’s clear how much attention to detail Lenker gave this album, and it shouldn’t be overlooked just for it not having original songs. The way she changed the way she performed them makes the songs so different that it feels like a completely new piece of her discography.
