“How Long Do You Think It’s Gonna Last?” I think it could be one of 2021’s best

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To put it simply: I absolutely LOVE what the band Big Red Machine has done with the uplift of new album “How Long Do You Think It’s Gonna Last?”. The side project is the brainchild of two men who recruited a host of gorgeous throated/fingered angels for friends to create a 15-track LP that slipped into the world recently.

Ordinarily I’d simply say those two gentleman were Aaron Dessner and Justin Vernon, but their separate credits are worth a mountain of paragraphs. Forgive me if I admire too much, but it’s hard not to be impressed.

Dessner is a vital multi-instrumental presence in indie rock group The National with twin brother Bryce (twinning with his own sideman and composer accomplishments). He’s also worked with the likes of Taylor Swift, Sharon Van Etten and The Lone Bellow, showing his all around limitless range.

Meanwhile, Vernon is the man behind the curtain of bands like Bon Iver, Volcano Choir and the now-defunct DeYarmond Edison. While miraculously perhaps, he’s managed to collaborate alongside both Kanye West and Taylor Swift and lived to tell the tale with great success.

So as you can guess, having Dessner and Vernon collaborate for a 2nd BRM album is exciting. This effort perhaps moreso because it is so beautifully collaborative without sounding crowded or overstepped.

While the 1st BRM LP was primarily bounced off Vernon and Dessner, this feels more out in the open. Like an album The Band might have made if they had a vibe for more futuristic tones (such as the Naeem-featured “Easy to Sabotage”). There’s also plenty here to be found that’s down to Earth, like Anais Mitchell’s gorgeous poignance on “New Auburn”, the swoony church of Sharon Van Etten of “Hutch”, and a gorgeously ghostly Robin Pecknold on “Phoenix”.

Taylor Swift doesn’t disappoint either, as she and Vernon pair like they’ve sung together for years on the yin and yang of “Birch” and “Renegade”. But her fame level doesn’t overshadow on this; her takes are simply just more goodness in the grain here.

For something so divided amongst artists, one would almost expect some sound division across this album. But Dessner and Vernon keep a flow that never truly leaves these pieces no matter how casual or ornate.

They’re calling the shots with this orchestra, and it’s creation is a gorgeous comparison to sunrise. Get your sunglasses, it’s gonna be pretty.