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Contents Format: CD Specifications: Jewel case Big Red Machine, the project by Aaron Dessner (The National) and Justin Vernon (Bon Iver), has released their second album, "How Long Do You Think It's Gonna Last?". Includes the single "Renegade" featuring Taylor Swift, etc. Guests: Ana?s Mitchell, Robin Pecknold (Fleet Foxes), Taylor Swift, Ilzy, Naeem, Sharon Van Etten, Lisa Hannigan, Shara Nova (My Brightest Diamond), La Force, Ben Howard, This Is the Kit. Aaron Dessner learned to play various instruments with his brother Bryce in a basement in suburban Cincinnati from a young age, and has always sought emotional outlets and deep human relationships through music. As a key songwriter for The National, founder of various festivals, and collaborator on two Taylor Swift albums recorded at his own New York studio, Long Pond, Dessner has built a unique community of musicians through these activities. His rich spirit and desire to "move music forward" is most deeply felt in Big Red Machine's second album, "How Long Do You Think It's Gonna Last?", which he started with Justin Vernon of Bon Iver in 2008. Big Red Machine, which Dessner says started out of their own enjoyment, released their self-titled debut album in 2018. What Dessner calls "structured experimentation," the album focused on evolving from improvisation and creating tracks that work well live. In 2019, when Vernon visited Long Pond, the new Big Red Machine material began to take shape. In the first week, songs like "Reese," "8:22am," and "Latter Days" (the opener sung by Vernon and Ana?s Mitchell) were created, and the loss of childhood innocence and nostalgia, as sung in "Latter Days," became a defining theme for the entire album. For the next few months, the two met and worked as much as possible. In the early stages of the pandemic, Taylor Swift approached Dessner, and the two started their collaboration that would later become "Folklore" and "Evermore." During this period, which he describes as a "creative blur," Dessner was working on both Swift and Big Red Machine simultaneously. "It was a very growing period for me. I learned a lot from Taylor and the process. And I shared the unfinished Big Red Machine songs with her. Taylor was really inspiring and gave me very positive feedback and encouragement. It helped me understand how Big Red Machine relates to everything else I'm doing," Dessner says. The album features numerous collaborators and friends exchanging ideas, including Robin Pecknold of Fleet Foxes ("Phoenix"), Ben Howard and This Is The Kit ("June's a River"), Naeem ("Easy to Sabotage"), Sharon Van Etten, Lisa Hannigan, and Shara Nova of My Brightest Diamond ("Hutch"), and Taylor Swift ("Birch" and "Renegade," the latter recorded in March 2021 at Kitty Committee studio in Los Angeles, the same week Swift and Dessner won Album of the Year at the Grammy Awards). "Everyone involved in this record has an openness, a creative generosity, and an emotional quality that connects it all," Dessner says. It has also been revealed that there are several songs, such as "Brycie" and "Magnolia," that Dessner herself needs to sing. "When you've been in a band for a long time and someone else is the vocalist, you start to rely on them. In fact, I loved Matt's (Berninger, The National's vocalist) voice and his words. But singing 'Brycie' myself made me realize that Big Red Machine is a project where I can not only create songs with other people, but also complete songs myself," Dessner says. "Aaron let me hear 'Brycie' a few years ago, and I thought it was a beautiful song and I should sing it more. Aaron's voice sounds really good to me," Vernon continues. "Justin is incredibly talented, but he's also destructive," Dessner says, pointing to the first note of "Birch" as a prime example. "It's absolutely amazing, and when I first heard it, I was very surprised. When you work with him, there are a lot of moments like that where you're surprised and your head hits the wall," Dessner continues. "Aaron's greatest talent as a collaborator is his ability to evolve and experiment with sounds that are very natural and emotional to him," Vernon says. The album title, "How Long Do You Think It's Gonna Last?", was chosen by Swift, who intuitively brought together the album's themes. "A year ago, we hadn't even worked together before. It's really cool how the community continues to grow and how everyone who contributed to this album is naturally connected to the emotions at the heart of the music," Dessner says. [TRACKLIST]01. Latter Days (feat. Ana?s Mitchell)02. Reese03. Phoenix (feat. Fleet Foxes and Ana?s Mitchell)04. Birch (feat. Taylor Swift)05. Renegade (feat. Taylor Swift)06. The Ghost of Cincinnati07. Hoping Then08. Mimi (feat. Ilsey)09. Easy to Sabotage (feat. Naeem)10. Hutch (feat. Sharon Van Etten, Lisa Hannigan and Shara Nova [My Brightest Diamond])11. 8:22am (feat. La Force)12. Magnolia13. June's a River (feat. Ben Howard and This Is The Kit)14. Brycie15. New Auburn (feat. Ana?s Mitchell)16. No More Knees On (feat. Isaiah Robinson and La (Force) Media Reviews and More: Big Red Machine, the project by Aaron Dessner (The National) and Justin Vernon (Bon Iver), has released their second album, "How Long Do You Think It's Gonna Last?". Includes the single "Renegade" featuring Taylor Swift, among other tracks. (C)RS