Laurie Anderson: Big Science

Why it took so long to get this album is another example of missing out for many years on an amazing landmark recording by a remarkable artist.  In this case, Laurie Anderson is both a musician and a performance artist and her 1982 debut (how she got a 7-album deal from a major label, Warner Brothers, is notable), unlike anything else that came out during that time, was a sampling of a massively ambitious project, United States, a sprawling look in four parts with nearly 80 separate pieces that examined technology, the post-industrial world and what some take to be something of a dystopian view of American life, expressed artistically, archly, ironically and presciently.

Big Science is a stunning collection that combines lyrics that are often simultaneously vague and highly personal, some seemingly critical of aspects of modern life and others that appear to be about lovers, while there are pieces that look to be about family dynamics, with a compelling palette of musical sounds including Anderson's main instrument, the violin, and keyboards, with percussion, horns, a bagpipe, electronics and hand claps.

The effects of these piece is mesmerizing.  While "O Superman (For Massenet" became a surprise hit single in England, largely thanks to DJ John Peel playing it frequently on his show, and is often cited as the centerpiece of the record, all eight tracks are excellent evocations of Anderson's unusual approach to songs.  This includes her vocalizations, use of effects, the unusual instrumentation, sense of arrangement, crystalline production, judicious use of space, and the convergence of what is often called avant-garde with popular music.

In fact, this last part may be the most impressive feat of all with Big Science; namely, that it is certainly experimental, experiential in its immersive qualities, but very relatable from a pop sensibility.  Hearing this amazing album now, moreover, it feels as if this is totally relevant as we've become more wedded to technology, displaced and, it feels, less human in our interactions (or lack of them) with each other.  As electronic as much of the record is, it has a warmth and sensitivity (as well as a good use of irony and satire) that is an especially humanizing experience.