Big Thief’s second album “Two Hands” turns five today, marking a timestamp to the popularity the band has since gained and the musical influence they have amassed since their formation.
“Two Hands” carries the character of a Big Thief record, raw with emotional complexities and experimentation with noise and instruments. The album was rated a 9.0 on Pitchfork and was described as being created by a band that “materialized somewhere deep in the forest with a mystical set of songs.”
Spanning 10 tracks, each song seeps into the next seamlessly with sensitivity and welled-up rage. “Two Hands” is filled with lyrics and storytelling directed towards the rawness of life and the depth that follows human emotion. This record is catered to anyone who enjoys indie-folk mixed with inspirations of rock.
According to 4AD, the album was created entirely live with no overdubs. The quality of the live recordings — accounting for all but two tracks — enhances the album’s vulnerability. You are able to feel Adrianne Lenker, the band’s lead singer, pierce your soul with her trembling voice as her vocals range from soft hums to boiling screams.
“Two Hands has the songs that I’m the most proud of; I can imagine myself singing them when I’m old,” Lenker said in an interview with 4AD. “Musically and lyrically, you can’t break it down much further than this. It’s already bare-bones.”
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The album opens with “Rock and Sing,” a soft and touching song about a male lover, hinted at in the opening line.
“Without his body/ Naked and bare,” Lenker sings.
Lenker’s lyrics portray how she is left to feel empty without her lover. This track touches on the fragility of an individual existing in a harsh and demanding world. Lenker highlights that all she wants to do is to find vulnerability with that partner.
“Lean on that table/ Ask what you want from me/ I am unable/ Cry with me, cry with me,” Lenker sings.
The song further implies vulnerability as it ends with Lenker singing about how she wants to keep her door unlocked, an opportunity for someone to open her up.
A drumming transition introduces “Forgotten Eyes,” a track that yearns for the meaning of human connection. Lenker’s voice trembles with intensity as she sings the chorus, yelling out that everyone deserves a home and protection to feel whole. The song radiates the meaning of caring for others.
“The wound has no protection/ Everybody needs a home and deserves protection,” Lenker sings.
According to Stereogum, “Forgotten Eyes” follows the meaning of homelessness and those that slip into its margins. Lyrics refer to the guilt Lenker feels shuffling past homeless people on the street, watching the poison slowly kill them as well as herself.
“Hollow-eyed on Eddie, is it they or is it I?/ Is it me who is more hollow as I’m quickly passing by?/ And the poison is killing them, but then so am I/ As I turn away,” Lenker sings.
Taking a much harsher approach, “Not” stands out from the rest of the record for its tempering rage. The beat rings throughout the track, growing until it completely crashes as the song progresses. The instrumental track follows this chaos as the song ends with flying drums and a harsh guitar solo.
“Not” gives off a feeling of disassociation as Lenker sings about the indescribable and confusing realm of human existence.
“It’s not the energy reeling/ Nor the lines in your face/ Nor the clouds on the ceiling/ Nor the clouds in space,” Lenker sings.
LISTEN Magazine describes “Not” as “an angry love ballad … The song is heavy and painted with a thick coat of infatuation, something Big Thief is well known for.” As Lenker sings, she lists everything that her love is not.
The following track “Wolf” opens with the finger-picking guitar notes that are Lenker’s specialty. Her voice is airy as she hums about a love that has gone astray.
Lenker fills lyrics with metaphors of mermaids and wolves gripping her by their jaws. Echoing her voice like the howls of a wolf, the track leaves listeners with remnants of her finger-picking.
“When she holds me in her jaw/ All my blood dripping/ Will I be free/ To cease the gripping?” Lenker sings.
“Two Hands” embodies the musical imperfections and vulnerability of the band. Its live recordings shine through Lenker’s voice and the wild, unfiltered instruments behind her.
The album is filled with metaphors, making each listen uncover new emotions and connections between the lyrics. “Two Hands” serves as a time capsule of the extensive discography that Big Thief has created to be known for.
