Big Thief - Dragon New Warm Mountain I Believe In You

flute also did not sound good

Ugh I would really like to see them but $80 to see them in the park?

i just saw them last night and "Vampire Empire" was much closer to the version they just released and it was fantastic. Not missing anything with the absent flute. Was a little sad to hear "Spud Infinity" without the jaw harp though.

They seem to like to mess around with their songs quite a bit, which imo is a great sign for a band, relentlessly creative. They played "Certainty" more or less like the album, maybe a little more oomph to it, and then Adrianne made a comment about how she hasn't really been feeling the rocking out aspect and has been wanting to do it more softly. Then she played it again as a soft, tender ballad. It was really beautiful.

i don't really get all the complaints because this is hardly a case of the arrangement being radically different, or the song being ruined or anything. i miss the flute but it's not a big deal at all. if they'd ditched the arrangement completely for the punk version or something i'd have been amused but more disappointed. my only actual complaint is that it's a fairly raw-sounding recording, it's very roomy.

i would still like to hear the unreleased studio version of the rock "dragon" but it's not like the completely different album version was remotely bad either.

Great little Pfork write-up: https://pitchfork.com/reviews/tracks/big-thief-vampire-empire/

As (maybe?) 2021's #1 "Time Escaping" Live on YouTube Fan, I was admittedly a bit flummoxed when the album cut of that song was released... but I figured I'd come to love it, and I certainly didn't go posting "THIS SUCKS" on Instagram (which was one of the thoughtful comments I saw).

(...saw for "Vampire Empire," to clarify)

...except for that bit about Elliot Smith.

(haha, I was willing to let that go)

never followed this band but listened to the newly released song followed by the performance on Colbert.

the studio version is better. her vocal performance is stronger on it. the flute doesn't really add anything except that it makes the guitar sound craggier in relation. it feels extraneous.

suspect people only prefer the Colbert version because it's familiar.

maybe i should listen to this band idk. i don't usually like straight up indie rock but Lenker seems like she has more to offer.

They really need to ignore this kind of shit.

younger bands are bad at ignoring stuff, and what's more, they can get press for responding, so they usually do.

honestly the biggest problem with all versions of this song is i can’t stop hearing “empty tushy fills, alive tushy kills”

Hahaha, I didn't wanna say it....

sounding wonderful on the p4k stream and generously playing a ton of new material

lmao what the hell is this vocal effect on "spud infinity"

james is doing pitched-up autotune harmonies on it and it is deeply bizarre

I was there in person and I dunno what you are talking about. Great set.

it was very clear in the stream audio, in the right channel only

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lgwBsusfEI0

this'll probably get taken down at some point, but "spud infinity" is at 1:17:45 if you want to hear the goofy vocal effects.

other highlights are an acoustic "words" (0:00), born for loving you (17:40), "seam" and "free treasure" (48:20), and "happiness" (1:06:00)

I'm all for the wacky outfits, but I would draw the line at a mermaid's tail. No mermaid's tail or gtfo, guy.

https://soundcloud.com/97tlr/forgiver

thinking about this 10 minute version of unreleased track "black crow" (aka "forgiver") where they go fully crazy horse

i haven't seen the colbert version but i just listened to the new "vampire empire" on spotify and it seems good? seems like a song that could have been on the last album maybe with a bit of two hands era

the whole online thing w/this band is really weird, seems like a band to just listen to and never talk about on social media

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_8fQGCc_O18

gorgeous sprawling new song

Wonderful, yeah

Another one from Buck Meek's alb, out 8/25:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=njKwzygKaRY

Classic Country style: you open for, then play with the Big Star er Thief

Buck Meek - Live at The Studio at The Factory, Deep Ellum, Dallas, TX 2/12/2023

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a-PSK8U6DfM

yas?

an American musician from Wimberley, Texas, best known as the guitarist and backing vocalist of Big Thief.

#buckmeek

00:00 Cannonball! Pt. 2
04:40 Haunted Mountain
09:58 Pareidolia
14:33 Where You're Coming From
18:53 Second Sight
24:05 Paradise
27:41 Secret Life
32:20 The Undae Dunes
34:54 Stories
40:30 Sam Bridges (with Adrianne Lenker)

Just now learned that he plays in Shadow Kingdom. Main way now to see it seems to be on pbs.org, though you gotta sign up and get that Passport app (get to watch a lot of other, of course). I saw it during fundraiser (they didn't interrupt with membership pitches): mostly real good, with a few that sounded too slow on the audio-only (now CD/LP)improved by visuals; all the guitar is good for sure.

Sign up and donate, that is. I'm a noob to all this, didn't know about Two Saviors (& wasn't he invited to be on My Rough and Rowdy Ways?
https://www.brooklynvegan.com/big-thiefs-buck-meek-announces-new-album-two-saviors-shares-second-sight/

As it turns out, he didn’t actually play on Shadow Kingdom, though he was one of the musicians that “finger synched” in the video recording along with the previously recorded tracks:

Bob Dylan – vocals, guitar, harmonica
Alex Burke, guitar (Finger synching)
Buck Meek, guitar (Finger synching)
Shahzad Ismaily, accordion (Finger synching)
Janie Cowan, upright bass (Finger synching)
Joshua Crumbly, guitar (Finger synching)

The actual recording personnel, though not listed anywhere, is believed to have been:

Bob Dylan – vocals, guitar, harmonica
Jeff Taylor – accordion
Greg Leisz – guitar, pedal steel guitar, mandolin
Tim Pierce – guitar
T-Bone Burnett – guitar
Ira Ingber – guitar
Don Was – upright bass
John Avila – electric bass
Doug Lacy – accordion
Steve Bartek – additional acoustic guitar

Weird. Thanks!

Whaaaat

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l1lnubtQvOQ

this "dragon" is fantastic but lmao they're really into those goofy autotune backing vocals right now huh

looking forward to the next album going full bon iver

What a strange effect… is James triggering/playing that somehow? Yeah the performance is awesome though.

(I offered to buy my dad tickets to that show, but admission was GA only and that didn’t really work)

james' backing vocals are being fed through a bunch of effects including autotune yeah

i'm seeing them friday evening, will report back on goofy autotune use

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9WmyWQPxMus

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XPwd8iJ1uhM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ILvivIkUic8

seems like they were in a really jammy mood at that show

They are some excellent performances, thanks for sharing

The way the crowd cheers when the first jaw harp note is struck on "Spud"...

I'd like to post the lyrics that someone transcribed for that "Real House" song (above), b/c they're just so good:

* * *

Do you remember running?
The purity of the air around
Braiding low branches into a crown
That love is all I want

I'm a child humming
Into the purity of the black space
Where stars shine like tears on the night's face
In a cool wind

Mama, what happened?
Never thought we'd go this long
Now 31 and I don’t feel strong
And your love is all I want

When I was 7
I saw the first film that made me scared
And I thought of this whole world ending
I thought of dying unprepared

We moved into a real house
A wild field behind it
I wanted to be an inventor
Collected scraps to make a portal
I wanted so much for magic to be real

So many dreams of flying
Rising high over the crowd
And they go “oh man, look at her go”
And I go

Do you remember
Coming to the hospital when I was 14?
My friends all left me there spinning
Dad was angry and you saw everything
And you made me laugh as the nurses undressed me
You held my hand as they put the needle in me

I never saw you cry
Not until our dog died
And our whole family came back together
We held her body as they put the needle in her
And then I saw you cry
And then I saw you cry

Listening just now to "Vampire Empire," which has been released as a single. Great stuff, again.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7OpbuEvZvkM

it's a great song but this recording doesn't quite have the energy of some of the live versions, just a little bit more laid back

Not available in this hemisphere until it's officially Wednesday, but looking forward to hearing it.

...and it sounds really nice, as expected. Laid back, for sure.

Btw – a friend mentioned that fans on Reddit were upset at "Vampire Empire" not just for the absence of flute, but also removal of the boldface phrases below from the lyrics (when compared to the song as performed on Fallon and maybe other live settings):

I am empty 'til she fills, alive until she kills
In her vampire empire, I am the fish and she's my gills
Falling, yeah

(...)

Well, I walked into your dagger for the last time in a row
It's like trying to start a fire with matches in the snow
Where you can't seem to hold me, can't seem to let me go

I can see why Adrianne may have considered those bits to be awkward or unnecessary (e.g., what does "last time in a row" mean, exactly); though I understand how their removal makes for "incomplete rhymes." Anyway, I don't think the song suffers greatly without them...

https://www.reddit.com/r/bigthief/comments/16ihrhi/news_from_buck_about_big_thief/

some news:
-they plan for the next album they record to be 'violent, distorted and screamed' and don't expect the recent unreleased live songs to fit with the concept
-they're going to spend 6 months writing songs for that next album soon, and are taking a year off from touring
-new adrianne solo album coming soon
-they're still thinking about putting out some unreleased material (probably from the dwnmibyi sessions?) as a stop gap while they work on their next album

All cool… hope they do that last thing!

it sounds like we can probably expect the adrianne solo album in january or so

A little surprising they would decide on the sound of a new album before even writing it, let alone getting into the studio… from past interviews, I had the sense that they followed a much more “organic” method of finding each album’s particular voice.

they plan for the next album they record to be 'violent, distorted and screamed'

Lost Somewhere Between the New Warm Mountain and My Home

Today, Adrianne Lenker (of Big Thief) announces a new online songwriting workshop through School of Song. The course will be taught online via live Zoom lectures across 4 consecutive Sundays –– January 7th, January 14th, January 21st, and January 28 –– with 2 lecture sessions on each class day to accommodate different time zones: 11 AM PT and 6 PM PT. Recorded lectures will be available and sent out afterwards for those who are unable to attend at those times.

Every week, Adrianne will give a lecture on subjects specific to her songwriting process. Each class will result in a homework assignment to write a song using the techniques discussed in the lecture. In addition to the lectures, there will be weekly song-sharing sessions composed of peer review and an additional hour of live Q&A with Adrianne.

The cost of the workshop is $160 total, and a 20% discount is available for those who sign up with a friend. The deadline to sign up is Saturday, January 6th at 11:59 PM PT. The course is geared towards anyone with an interest in songwriting in general or Adrianne’s process in particular, from absolute beginners to seasoned songwriters. There are no prerequisites to sign up, but having an instrument that you know how to play a few chords on will be helpful if you want to complete the assignments.

Course Description:
In Adrianne Lenker's songwriting workshop, we will begin with the understanding that songs emerge from an ever-mysterious source within us – our subconscious, our inner child, magic, the universe. Our primary task as songwriters is to ensure this source remains unblocked and unhindered. This workshop will cover how Adrianne navigates this unblocking process throughout all facets of life to get back to the place where songs come from.

Building upon this open foundation, we delve into song craft, touching on key elements of Adrianne’s approach. We'll explore how open tunings can transform the guitar into a landscape of drones and bass lines, welcoming resonant melodies to emerge. We’ll consider how various guitar techniques (e.g. strummed cowboy chords, fingerpicking) affect the expression of the songwriter's identity. Lyrically, we'll examine the process of drawing from personal experiences to create lyrics that balance the specific with the universal. Throughout the workshop, students will learn to write lyrics that highlight the beauty and magic often overlooked in our daily existence, revealing the depth that lies beneath the veneer of the mundane.

Join us in January as Adrianne gives our community insight into her process. You will leave the course with several new original songs of your own, and with new connections to fellow songwriters all over the world.

For more information, contact: Jacob Daneman | Pitch Perfect PR -
jacob at pitchperfectpr.com