Mixtape Track 1: Adrianne Lenker - Free Treasure
A stunning piece of songwriting that captures the simple things life can offer.
When a new year begins, I often wonder what new artist might come along and offer music so bittersweet that without them I would have truly struggled. Whether that be a day of stress and anxious thoughts, or an evening that did not go as planned, leaving a sense of uncertainty to the day that will follow. It’s quite miraculous that someone who up until that point has had no part in my life, no bearing on my thoughts whatsoever, can slowly become a source of comfort, joy, and resilience. That person for me this year was Adrianne Lenker.
Adrianne is an American songwriter who started producing music ar the age of 13. She was mainly raised in the suburbs of Minneapolis, where she learned to play guitar from her father, as he guided and supported her through her early years as a writer and performer. She would later go onto meet Buck Meek and form the band Big Thief, acclaimed in their own right by many in music journalism around the world. Sam Sodomosky described them as being ‘raw, tactile, and essential. With intimate songs that zoom in on a band that feels totally invincible.’ Roison O’Connor saw them as ‘A band so tight, you’d think they could read each other’s minds.’
You’d think with all this acclaim and accolade, I might have found myself listening to such a band in years previous, when they were truly making a name for themselves, and yet they passed me by. So how then did I stumble across the piece that would go onto claim such a significant part of my listening over many months in 2024? Truth be told, it was by the luck of an autoplay from a Youtube video I had on in the background marking English papers in my classroom.
Applause arose and I was looking at Jimmy Fallon, doing what many talk show hosts have always done, in holding up a record to the camera and introducing the artist on the show that evening. I didn’t think much of it, but watched curiously as the camera panned slowly round to a Stetson wearing guitar player with feet poised up on a footrest. Her fingers began to pick at the strings and the delicacy of her guitar playing immediately caught my attention, as the glowing rays of the stage lights twinkled in the background and reflected on the sparkling glitter on the edges of her eyes. I sat transfixed as she began to softly sing the opening lines of the verse, and although I wasn’t yet ready to pick up on every lyric, I resonated with a chorus that allowed me to feel every word she spoke. Eyes closed, slight movement of the head, I felt myself close to doing the same.
‘You show me
Understanding
Patience and pleasure
Time and attention
Love without measure
Love without measure’
The song creates visions of the smallest things that can make up such beautiful parts of time we spend with loved ones, be that a partner, friend, or family member. Spending time in the presence of someone by the river, cooking food or just simply lying around and talking, are very much things we sometimes take for granted.
Aaron Ben-Zeev once said;
Love is often described in terms of grand deeds, such as moving mountains. Love can indeed induce such deeds, but usually, it is the little things that mean a lot more in love.
To me the song ‘Free Treasure’ captures the beautiful parts of a loving relationship or just simply life itself. It does this whilst carrying you as the listener on the waves of Adrianne’s distinct guitar playing and the soft tones of minimalistic instrumentation in the form of a second guitar and very subtle keys towards the end.
If you want to take a moment in your day and simply drift for three minutes in the company of a supremely talented songwriter, I highly recommend you give this piece of music a listen.