big thief: masterpiece

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

then again, most albums sound worse if you play every song at the same time

I've been listening to this band all day/night now and I do kind of feel like all of their songs are playing in my head at the same time.

This version of masterpiece is better than the record imo:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D0E5vMkDfOI

i love that performance

we were just two moonshiners on the cusp of a breath

"There's only so much letting go you can ask someone to do"

"haley" is sooooooooooooooooo good

― ToddBonzalez (BradNelson), Wednesday, June 7, 2017 11:46 AM (four months ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

this is my fav other than Pretty Things

FWIW Spotify has a few pre-Big Thief EPs of her and Buck Meek, they're just under her name, and believe it or not, they are also really good.

Just gave the new one a once through listen thanks to man alive's recommendation on the masculinity thread. This is pretty much exactly what I need right now. Will be spending some time in this record, I can tell.

Nice! It has a lot to explore imo, I keep shifting which song I'm into, now it's Black Diamonds.

"Mythological Beauty" being set in Nisswa, MN def packs a punch to me, there's a certain beauty and squalor that's unique to Northern MN

Haley is a gorgeous song!

Does it sound like the opening from Minnie Ripperton’s Les Fleurs to anyone else? I’m not technical, can anyone who actually identify notes confirm it’s the same chords?

not the same chords but I definitely see the sonic resemblence

Yes again I’m not a musician so not very technical. Haley sounds to me like it starts in G and Les Fleurs in E? They do have the same sort of feel.

It's not just the key difference, Haley starts with an ascending pattern and Le Fleurs starts with a descending pattern.

Haley also reminds me a lot of Jim O'Rourke's melodic stuff, can't put my finger on what in particular.

Oh I see! I can hear it now that you mention it!

Then if they’re different chords in a different order... Can you explain better than me why am I hearing the same sort of vibe in these two? Is it the drums? The production?

Maybe Life Goes Off? xp

Then if they’re different chords in a different order... Can you explain better than me why am I hearing the same sort of vibe in these two? Is it the drums? The production?

― ✖✖✖ (Moka), Tuesday, October 17, 2017 5:19 PM (five seconds ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

I don't know if I can explain it well, but I think the drum groove is definitely noticeably similar except much faster on Haley, and there's a fingerpicked acoustic guitar arpeggiating chords on both, and the ascending base note over the g chord on Haley probably feels similar to the descending bass note over the E chord on Les Fleurs.

Yes I think that’s it. Lovely song either way!

I keep thinking that it's Adrianne in the new iPhone 8+ commercial--it can't be her, right?

definitely not

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.