Big Thief - Dragon New Warm Mountain I Believe In You

https://i.postimg.cc/7hKSZ1nw/spudamerica-1.jpg

https://i.postimg.cc/7hKSZ1nw/spudamerica-1.jpg

This morning I reached the point in listening to this where I can shut off my analytical brain, stop trying to anticipate how it flows or guess what's influencing what. Just letting it play and enjoying it for what it is.

those tucson sessions seem like they were fun

Looked to me from that video posted above like Simulation Swarm is in an alternate tuning, so dug around and see she commonly uses them, which is another nice little tweak that gives her/their songs a distinct sound

Good tutorial on "symbol" for those who are interested. Haven't seen this picking pattern before, either.

youtube.com/watch?v=VmjD8CrMIX0

Ah found a video where she talks about alternate tunings--

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6bAugdYu8LQ

A lot of acoustic finger pickers use or need to use alternate tunings to get the drone strings going or to just let open strings resonate.

actually 'little things' sounds more like tango in the night though FM would have given it a big chorus

i'm making this up, but this morning, at least, i believe the best way to listen to music is to listen to the music and not think about where it came from or what tradition it might belong to

this belongs to the tradition of good-ass folk/country music

it's in the universe of the Band, and the reason we're all thinking of fleetwood mac is 5% tusk and 95$ because James Krivchenia, the drummer of Big Thief, is literally the same person as Mick Fleetwood. watch the red moon video. they are the same person

did i share this yet? this is the best thing i've read on the new album

https://www.talkhouse.com/sam-evian-and-james-krivchenia-big-thief-arent-gonna-do-shit-just-to-get-bigger

please ignore the title/url, it's just one thing they talk about

xxxpost Why? Tradition and where things come from is one of my favorite things about listening to music. I love hearing artists build upon or expand on ideas that came from others or before them. What was the Bowie quote about being second being better than being first?

it's great, and i often think about tradition and where things come from, who is influencing who. but it should never be a prerequisite for enjoyment (not that you or anyone else is doing that). i'm just saying, it is so nice to forget all of that for a minute and just listen to the song as it is

Oh, for sure, one of the worst things about writing about music professionally (RIP) is losing the luxury to just listen for the sake of listening.

I love how BT makes my brain fish around for comparisons/touchpoints, without taking anything away from my enjoyment of their music.

Five Star Studios, Topanga Canyon, CA with Shawn Everett
"Time Escaping"
"Little Things"
"Blurred View"
"Simulation Swarm"

yeah, holy shit. the whole album is so good that all four of the sessions come across as outstandingly productive, but that one might take the cake.

simulation swarm is just incredible

I like this bit from that interview (btw. James & Sam Evian, who did the Flying Cloud session):

Sam: (...)I think my process with overdubbing by myself is trying to make it sound like a band(...). If I don’t feel like a kid when it’s happening and if I don’t feel a little manic and dancing around like an absolute dweeb, then I’m like, this is done.

James: (...)I have a similar thing, which I try and impart on people when they’re doing an overdub. It’s like, this should be really exciting. Even though it’s just a tambo, this performance is important. It kills me when I see someone punching the clock on a tambo take because it’s like, dude pretend you’re in the room with this band.

Sam: You should be giving yourself the night sweats.

James: Totally. You feel it in the music when people take these little overdubs as if they’re nothing. You’re going to really hear this thing, it has to be more exciting than just in time.

Is it me or can I hear the scrape g of shirt buttons on the title track?

someone please grab "punching the clock on a tambo take" as a user name

there's so many good things in that interview. i love the concept of "the sauce" as well

xp Did that already! ;)

Is it me or can I hear the scrape g of shirt buttons on the title track?

idk exactly what you mean but there is a credit for "icicles" on that track and i can hear those

is it me or can I hear icicles scraping against the guitar necks on the title track?

that makes me nervous

James & Max are credited for "Icicles" on the title track in the liner notes

I ask because I thought it a cool cinéma vérité touch when Bob Dylan makes sure you hear them on "Wedding."

Bought this today. On my first listen through and I guess it's their warmest-sounding album so far? I'm on the second disc and there's almost a jollity to it. It sounds like the angstiness of albums like Capacity has all but dissipated and this is the sound of a band enjoying themselves together

as the world's #1 spud infinity fan, i learned how to play it on guitar today. left my capo somewhere else, so i play a version of it that's transposed and uses way too many barre chords. i'm planning to create a genius annotation that references me being the world's #1 spud infinity fan, and then citing an ilx poll that i create and rig so that only i can win as the evidence. i've been working on building up my scholar IQ over at the genius academy, and i hope you will support my effort to earn a candybar from the someday, if i earn it

Who is the World's Undisputed #1 fan of 'Spud Infinity' by Big Thief?

do you sprinkle capos in your ground beef? I do.

i capo'd the crap out of an omelette this morning

capos make a statement, you roll up on the gig with a capo on, ppl are like this is some serious guitar shit

i don't know, there are views among guitarheads that it's better to "git gud" at barre chords rather than resort to a shameful capo. I saw one quora thread where this guy was bragging about playing guitar since the 60s and never once using a capo. because that's how good he was at barre chords. i thought about signing up for quora to upvote him because his authority was undeniable

me capo-ing my ground beef

https://www.closetcooking.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/Cuban-Picadillo-1200-9758.jpg

having seen adrianne play a couple months ago i can tell you that she does weird tuning stuff between every song, uses a capo way more than i expected, and also barres chords. please upvote me due to my authority

str8 fire beautiful beef alfred

ya that looks amazing!

str8 fire beautiful beef alfred

think we have the title for the next Big Thief opus

str8 fire beautiful beef alfred

― Blues Guitar Solo Heatmap (Free Download) (upper mississippi sh@kedown)

I didn't get that compliment on my last date.

“Are you sure the noodle is ready, Alfred?”

Ahem

Anyhow, so John Prine, Will Oldham, and Radiohead walk into a Basement Tapes…

Yeah that's a good combo. Maybe throw Neil Young in there. I love the influences it calls to mind, there are so many of them but also they are always coherently their own thing.

I loved that alternative tunings video. One thing that struck me about Get Back was just the sheer musicality of the Beatles, how fluid and fluent they were with their craft. Big Thief feels very much like that, their musical dexterity lets them play with a lot of things.

i have to say, re: "Spud Infinity" ... i wish she'd cut two beats off all those taaaaaakes, ditch the last 75 seconds (from the drums on) and end up with a perfectly fine 4-minute song.

‘flower of blood’ and ‘blurred view’ are my favs so far

Something really satisfying about that part in Sparrow where Adrianne ends 5 consecutive lines with “apple”.

Second go round and this is really starting to shine through. I'm so glad I held off really giving any of the teaser tracks a listen beyond like one play as they work better in context. I'm also quite content absorbing the album side by side in whatever order is good. I don't come to BT for jolly larks, but I'm genuinely loving side three and especially Red Moon. So much fun

Yeah "red moon" and "blue lightning" (and "spud infinity" !) have a country feel good vibe that is so satisfying on a sunny winter day.

btw I just booked tickets for their Paris gig in June : exciting !