About X/Z Song Trader: Steve is a music journalist, author and musician. Lucy is a diehard music fan and college student. They have always enjoyed a father/daughter bond over music. Each week one of them picks a song and they both share their perspectives. These are casual conversations based on musical connections. Opinions are their own. Keeping it positive.
Check out the whole X/Z Song Trader series.
Lucy’s Perspective
As we’ve discussed before, my music taste wavered over the years but has always followed a pretty consistent pop path.
Big Thief was kind of the first exception to that. Although I had listened to quite a bit of indie music, this was definitely the furthest step toward true indie in my teens.
From the very beginning beat of “Shoulders,” the funky and fun melancholia of the song is a vibe. Of course, what’s most fun about Big Thief is Adrianne Lenker’s voice. There is something so gripping about it that makes listening more interesting.
I was first introduced to Big Thief in 2022 when my best friend asked me to go to their concert with her later that night.
I decided I was down for checking out a new band at The Wiltern in Los Angeles. To say I was blown away would be an insane understatement. I was enamored the second they walked on stage.
There is a feeling of peace and wisdom that surrounds the band members, something I take away from each and every one of their songs. At that show, I heard some of my all time favorite songs for the very first time. I truly think that is what captured me the most, discovering new music in its most natural state—live.
They didn’t play ‘Shoulders’ that night, so it wasn’t until a year later that I truly listened to this track and fell in love with it. I have been obsessed since that moment.
The first thing I loved about this song was the music.
The way the drum beat intertwines perfectly with the rest of the instruments was captivating. As I have grown over the past year and a half, I have also learned to appreciate the lyrics so much more than when I first heard it.
And the blood of the man who's killing our mother with his hands
Is in me
It's in me
In my veins
These lyrics have a sort of punch to them, like a hard-to-swallow pill. They hold a resonance that’s beyond anything that I could truly define. That’s a trait of Big Thief’s songwriting and Adrienne Lenker’s solo music that really fascinates me—devastating, gut-punching lines that hold meaning long after the song ends.
Big Thief is one of my all time favorite bands.
Even though they are well known, their music still feels personal to my life experiences. And I love how they support one another through their solo careers. Some of my other favorite songs are “Simulation Swarm,” “Red Moon,” and “Shark Smile (Edit),” as well as Adrienne Lenker’s “No Machine” and “Fool.”
This is a band that I see myself loving for the rest of my life. I wonder what your take is on their kind of funky, folk, indie sounding music and how it resonates with you?
Steve’s Perspective
I clearly remember when you went to see Big Thief because it was the first time we dropped you off at a show (rather than attending with you).
Even though I was going to punk shows with my friends at that age, the thought off dropping you off at The Wiltern that night filled me with a specific kind of fatherly fear that I wasn’t prepared for. Obviously, everything worked out fine and you clearly have the amazing musical memories to prove it!
I’m pretty sure that night was my introduction to Big Thief too. I remember investigating their music while you were at the show and really liking what I heard. It reminds me of artists like Rilo Kiley and Elliott Smith; or Joni Mitchell filtered through gnarlier Neil Young.
And, of course, it brings to mind the more modern indie folk music you have turned me onto in recent years including boygenius and some of the solo releases by Julien Baker, Phoebe Bridgers and Lucy Dacus.
But “Shoulders“ is grungier and more raw than a lot of that music.
This song has a dark, stripped down Americana feel to it. I think a lot of that has to do with the subject matter of the lyrics, which you already highlighted in your perspective—but I also really like the lines that come before the ones you shared.
They found you in the morning
The blood was on your shoulders
They found you at the corner
Your head was doubled over
Stylistically, that’s veering into modern murder ballad territory. That’s a songwriting style most people might associate with artists like Johnny Cash (“Don’t Take Your Guns To Town”) or Nick Cave (especially his Stones-y take on “Stagger Lee”).
More updated murder ballad examples might include “Goodbye Earl” by The Chicks and “No Body, No Crime” by Taylor Swift. I’ve personally always loved “Country Death Song” by Violent Femmes from their sophomore album, Hallowed Ground.
I also read somewhere that the members of Big Thief grew up listening to Wilco, an influence I can hear in some of their music.
I love that for many reasons, but mostly because Wilco was a part of your childhood as well thanks to your mom and me. So, it’s kind of beautiful to think that you might be connecting with Big Thief on that level as well. (I think the same might be true for MJ Lenderman and Neil Young…but we’ll leave that discussion for next time!)
Regardless of the many influences I hear, “Shoulders” is a great song on its own merits and I will definitely be listening to it a lot more in the future.
Shark Smile is the perfect blend of voice and instruments. Rec'd Adrianne to my son. Thanks for the delicious music!