big thief: masterpiece

'Paul' is my jam on this. and the title track.

I find this, from the p4k review, so true: "the songs sound cherry-picked over a lifetime of writing" ...it's hard to believe some young people just whipped up this collection of songs in a few months

i asked my friend who is part of this scene (played bass for Cardinal on tour) for some riyl big thief when i was in withdrawal after listening to this album too much, and he told me to check out ratboys. been listening to this album A O I D from 2015, it's very good and they have a new one coming out this year

https://ratboys.bandcamp.com/track/tixis

oooh

:)

these are all the bands he told me to check out, i've only gotten around to Land of Talk and ratboys so far

ratboys
lake
happy you
fraternal twin
land of talk
long beard
fog lake
alex g
florist
told slant

i know a lot of ppl who love told slant but the singing is intolerable to me

ratboys are fucking great though, thank u

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rMESNwX2i0k

Major Giant Drag vibes from Ratboy

Land of Talk is all time for me. Some Are Lakes is a classic begging for rediscovery. They were supposed to be working on a new album but it seems like they went silent again. Hopefully it won't be another four years until they release something.

cloak and cipher was the one that hooked me, but yeah they are So Amazing

lizzie from land of talk is definitely getting a new LP ready

i didn't know there was a thread for this! great record, feels like it could have been made anytime in the past 25 years (in a good way).

new album june 9

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ejzzO51e4xI

very nice

Saw them in January and they played mostly new stuff, all sounded great. Favorite song from the show, though, and quickly becoming one of my favorite Big Thief songs, seems to be an older one that they might not get around to recording, called "Shoulders." This 2015 video is pretty good quality: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pb_LZFim9ks

Also that new song has really grown on me since yesterday. Been on repeat all day.

http://www.npr.org/2017/06/05/530602440/first-listen-big-thief-capacity

less accessible and generally quieter than masterpiece, may prove to be a richer record over time, "mary" is fucking incredible

listened the other day not paying 100% attention and it seemed not as good as masterpiece so i got scared and turned it off

well it really opens up in its second half

after Masterpiece I trust this one to reward whatever time investment it requires

"haley" is sooooooooooooooooo good

i might have to dedicate a thread to it but the ratboys record is amazing http://www.ratboysband.com/

do it! make the ratboys thread! :)

as it happens i saw Big Thief live last night. at one of my least favourite venues and it was quite crowded so i was all the way at the back by the bar and couldn't see much. but it sounded lovely, her voice was just as good as on record. and she made a nice speech about gratefulness and fame and staying grounded at the end that was very sweet and honest. i still maintain songs on the new album just don't have the Hooks that made Masterpiece and you could tell the crowd would go while whenever they played one of the hits (Paul, Real Love, Masterpiece). Mythological creatures sounded amazing though

So it turns out this band is incredible.

spent ~5 hours of a 7 hour flight listening to capacity on repeat in a sleep deprived fugue, during which time it moved from previous rating of 'good' to current rating of 'my favourite album'

ya so turns out this album is an immense grower

when she sings 'iris of the bo-oo-ody' on Coma >>>>>

agreed

I keep randomly hearing this band and thinking they are good, so this is a good reminder to maybe listen to one of the records on the way home -- which should i start with?

either one imo. masterpiece may be more immediate

i would recommend starting with masterpiece. agree it is more immediate and i don't think i would necessarily recommend starting with capacity and going backwards, if i thought someone might get to both. there is a significant progression between them.

thirded

i 180'd on capacity (from 'eh guess big thief just had one great album in them' to 'this album is sustaining my life') so hard that i'm now paranoid that there are dozens of other classic albums out there i should've given another chance

This is what I've been telling you about chief Keef's mixtape catalog

Anyway would I like these band

i don't know of anything you like that is remotely like this tbh

'paul' or the title track off the first album is prob the best litmus test

I already love this band now

:)

I listened to the first album and was like "this is def not for me" and then listened to the second one & came away really impressed! I think it depends on if you're coming at it from an angle within or without the indie pop genre, I'm a much bigger fan of how they stretch out creatively on the new one than the more trad sounding compositions of the first

Sort of like how basic rap fans think finally rich is Keef's best album when back from the dead 2 is >>>>

lol

yeah I can't say I find the second one any harder to get into than the first one, both work really well for me. I'm also coming at this as not generally a fan of indie pop or straightforward rock.

Pretty Things is an amazing song, approaching that Joni Mitchell thing of being so confessional and tender and raw that it almost hurts to listen.

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

saw them live recently and she started with a couple new songs solo acoustic and the encore was also solo acoustic, including pretty things. she's just insanely talented.

the flow between songs on the second record is better imo. masterpiece kinda feels like a collection of discrete songs whereas the songs on capacity talk to each other more

in other words, yes, it's their finally rich 2

er back from the dead 2*, i am very tired

she's a fucking brilliant songwriter, fuck, I can't stop listening

yeah I can't say I find the second one any harder to get into than the first one, both work really well for me. I'm also coming at this as not generally a fan of indie pop or straightforward rock.

― IF (Terrorist) Yes, Explain (man alive), Friday, October 6, 2017 10:54 AM (four hours ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

wow way to burn the people who turned you onto your new fav band, Hurting

the flow between songs on the second record is better imo. masterpiece kinda feels like a collection of discrete songs whereas the songs on capacity talk to each other more

― ToddBonzalez (BradNelson), Friday, October 6, 2017 11:43 AM (three hours ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

capacity is more greater than the sum of its part for sure

haley is the best song i've heard all year and maybe my whole life

This is my favorite song so far from the pre-Big Thief EPs

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K5HI9O4TBL8

(a live performance of it I mean)

First song in this set, :O

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QckxTQQ9XBo

A lot of material I don't recognize, new album in the works already?

Folks on this thread will appreciate this article: https://www.npr.org/2017/11/09/560267308/the-lore-of-big-thief

Also plz don't miss Adrianne's 2014 solo record: https://adriannelenker.bandcamp.com/. "Gone" is my go-to but the whole thing is fantastic.

The solo record and the two with Buck Meek are all really nice.

That article is really nice too, although I'm constantly disappointed by the lack of basic musical knowledge of "music writers" who write stuff like this:

On songs like "Black Diamonds," the closing track off Capacity, Krivchenia's drums are breathing things, and he plays more to specific notes and chords than to a constant beat.

Like, that's not true at all, he plays a very steady beat. It's called accents and fills.

I mean I know what the writer is sort of trying to get at, the way the drums follow the guitar and vocals at certain moments, but it's a really inaccurate description.

Saw her tonight in brooklyn. Almost all new songs. Amazing. Really excited for the solo record.

im jealous

I’m reaching a stage in my life where I only want to hear new songs in a concert, or at least songs I haven’t played heavily. When she did Paul and everyone went “WOO!” it kind of took me out of it.

Haha what the hell

https://www.amazon.com/AdriAnne-Lenker-Live-Southern-DVD/dp/B000NKY4YK

Also:
https://www.amazon.com/Stages-Sun-Adrianne-Lenker/dp/B008GFQ1AE/ref=pd_cp_74_1?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=B008GFQ1AE&pd_rd_r=C5QH31RB7MQ8SPQR7XVG&pd_rd_w=TVzyw&pd_rd_wg=XFMKB&psc=1&refRID=C5QH31RB7MQ8SPQR7XVG

I'm assuming these are from her teenage "my dad was trying to make me into a rockstar" days

intro looks promising https://vimeo.com/2512754

Lol wow

https://m.youtube.com/watchv=VZvYnXP5Y2s

Stream of a limited edition cassette they're selling at shows

i don't think i even realized last year how special capacity is

Lenker solo is my most anticipated record right now.

the recent Joe Meek record is really nice

capacity truly is special, 'haley' is one of the best songs of the decade

*Buck Meek, I should say, lol

i am so into this new song they played at pitchfork: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4YhTyNnr42A

Any rumors about when the solo record might drop?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0J_3pFuF29Q

october 5

Like but don’t love the two new tracks. Looking forward to the record as I loved a lot of the new stuff I heard live.

My main feeling on them so far is that they did a little too much with the production. Seeing her live was so revelatory, and it kind of made me yearn for an album of just her and a guitar and a lot of space. But also the songs I like the best that I think are supposed to be on the new record haven't been released yet.

i like their production a lot. haven't heard the new stuff though

Adrianne Lenker (Big Thief) -- abysskiss

annoys me when all of an artist’s work merged into the thread for a single album

Meant to post "Interstate," because it's got that Wowee Zowee, meandering, fucked-up pop thing going for it

The melodic bit at the beginning of "Interstate" reminds me of The Amps' "I Am Decided" (this is good).

"Interstate" reminds me *so much* of some older/specific band... but I just can't place it. Maybe I will, eventually.

Big Thief has a way of bringing to mind other artists -- or other musical precedents that feel familiar -- without sounding at all "derivative."

it's been said before but i get a lot of Radiohead vibes, old and recent, from some of their stuff. especially the guitar solos

Yeah - I'm not a Radiohead guy, but I've heard that said (here and elsewhere). I guess something like "Great White Shark" (on Capacity) sort of sounds like my conception of a certain type of Radiohead song (I could totally be wrong, though).

Re: "Interstate" -- I've listened back to some stuff, and that song kiiiinda reminds me of Beauty Pill... like something that could have appeared on The Unsustainable Lifestyle.

I've also mentioned, in the Two Hands thread, how some of the band's mellow, chiming songs have sort of a Pinback vibe.

(I don't know if it's really useful or interesting to catalog these "reminds-me-of's"... but I do like gathering touchpoints like this.)

“Watering” has a bit of a Deerhunter feel

Love Radiohead, love Big Thief but don’t really hear the correlation.

they don't sound the same but certain fleeting moments remind me of particular Radiohead 'bits'.

“Haley” has a bit of a Slapp Happy sound (...ok, I’ll stop now)

Basically, they have many great bands in their DNA.

That Great White Shark song definitely has a Weird Fishes/Arpeggi sound to it

OK, just one more: the final track on U.F.O.F. (“Magic Dealer”) could totally be one of those brief, lovely Neko Case songs — both lyrically and melodically.

Found a few great indie-rocker demos, presumably Masterpiece outtakes (unsurprisingly, even this band’s unreleased stuff is gold):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EhdS3ft3lqI

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ABWnNuJ6mO0

otm i like them both, thx for sharing

I had never heard this Masterpiece-era song, Dandelion... it's really nice (as is the acoustic version of "Masterpiece" on the B-side).

This record is so so good.