Big Thief - Dragon New Warm Mountain I Believe In You

I listened to these tracks like 5 times in row this morning... can't wait for the album, it's gonna be so great!

"no reason", "little things" and "time escaping" all some of the very very best things they've ever done

Best working band right now

Going thru the tracknoms rn and Time Escaping is....wild? And kinda great? Reminds me of when Wilco do something weird, like Art Of Almost or something

i think 'american radiohead' works better for big thief (though still obviously pretty silly) than it ever did for wilco

I think they are on the REM track and they are just coming out of their IRS years

is that to suggest this will be their “Green”?

the coda of "no reason" really takes it to the next level. while "spud infinity" is good but absolutely a minute too long

I think “Spud Infinity” is an amazing song… that juxtaposition of the earthy and the abstract, right there in the title, is beautifully realized in the lyric.

I'm at a loss on how to describe/characterize these new songs... they're "cosmic Americana" in a certain way, but not in a way that usually fits that definition (and I wouldn't necessarily RIYL them along those lines). They're intense, joyful, lucid meditations on nature, time, and reality; using Americana as a vehicle, but not at all contstrained by what that term normally entails.

is that to suggest this will be their “Green”?

― Western® with Bacon Flavor, Thursday, December 16, 2021 bookmarkflaglink

yes, possibly!

this is the best this band has ever sounded, to me

(besides "Not")

TE >>> Not imo

i've listened to "little things" so many times. now when i'm having a beer i like to sing "drinking a beeeeer" to myself

Haha, me too :)

Yeah, maybe ... TE > Not ... maybe Little Things, too. i didn't necessarily mean forever, just that i've listened to Not a thousand times and these haven't had a chance to overtake it yet.

i didn't say that, but i was thinking it ... or something

collectively, though, i love these songs

“Spud Infinity” reminds me of Michael Hurley. Fantastic.

"little things", "time escaping" & "no reason" all > "not", as good as "not" is

I was just forwarded this (haven't read it yet): https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-features/big-thief-new-album-adrianne-lenker-interview-1272814/

it's a good read, most interesting tidbits are that "wake me up to drive" is "drum-machine pop" (which makes sense actually revisiting the live version) & they directly suggest that there could be another album's worth of material to be released from the dragon sessions

!!

they were already hinting that it was a possibility in a previous interview (45 songs were recorded so it could even be another double), just a bit more here

Through it all, the band held on to a firm internal sense of self. “We all have our own Big Thief-i-ness barometers,” says Krivchenia. “We did some stuff that, listening back to it, we were like, ‘Wow, people would flip if they heard this… but it’s not Big Thief-y.'”

Aw… don’t do me like that, man

japanese version has two bonus tracks, "dragon new warm mountain i believe in you (tucson version)" and "light is as is". the tucson sessions were where they recorded the album's rootsier material so i imagine it'll be quite a different take on "dragon"

I am very much hoping that 2022 is the year I get to see Big Thief live. None of the currently announced dates are anywhere near me, but maybe there will be more ...

Through it all, the band held on to a firm internal sense of self. “We all have our own Big Thief-i-ness barometers,” says Krivchenia. “We did some stuff that, listening back to it, we were like, ‘Wow, people would flip if they heard this… but it’s not Big Thief-y.'”

Aw… don’t do me like that, man

― i woke up alarmed (morrisp), Friday, January 7, 2022 12:27 AM (eight hours ago) bookmarkflaglink

this is such an important part of being a good band

"Simulation Swarm" is out now. Sounds a little like something off U.F.O.F., with a country turn in the chorus.

so good, love the fretless bass

DRINKING A BEEEEEEEEEER

I stopped listening to the pre-release tracks, I'm just ready to luxuriate in the whole thing.

this album is going to be incredible and i am already annoyed at how it will inevitably renew the big thief backlash

not so sure - i'm someone who was not a very big Big Thief fan (i found the songs sort of muddy and land-locked) but almost everything in the past year has been extraordinary, full of grace and lift, and it's turned me from backlasher into fan

ive been listening to the pre release tracks as a mini album of sorts, after ignoring the stuff for nearly all of 2021. flows nicely, tho nearly every track they’ve released since “little things” has been better than that one

i think that “spud infinity” is my favorite, big old weird america feeling going on

I'm extremely ready for this album to be of varying quality, like all their albums ;)

is there a big thief backlash? i don't want to meet these people irl

The little woodwind & gtr jam at the end of "No Reason" is such hot sh1t... I just love it

exact same sitch as sean gramophone for me.

there will be a backlash, but it'll be dwarfed by the "album of the year / america's best band" hype, i bet.

I thought the backlash happened already (that NYT editor who called them "emperor's new clothes" or whatever)

I wish you could do backlashes where you were like 'yeah they're pretty good but there's quite a few bands I prefer', but the Discourse doesn't like that sort of equivocation, they either have to be The Best or Overrated Nonsense

I will say this: much as I've enjoyed the other preview songs so far, I just don't get what's good about Little Things at all

I wish you could do backlashes where you were like 'yeah they're pretty good but there's quite a few bands I prefer',

thats not a backlash that's you.

I just don't get what's good about Little Things at all

It sounds like listening to your Walkman on a warm summer night in 1989, watching the stars come out...

good description, i think i like it now!

it's this wild shifting shimmering thing & their playing is incredible, really highlights their chemistry as a band. it's also just really distinct & fresh, what else out there actually sounds like this? it's interesting because it's really one of their least singer-songwritery tunes, much more of a free-flowing jam where the vocals weave in and out in the same way as the lead guitar. has anyone figured out what's actually going on with the time signature yet

i wasn't on board with them (i'd heard capacity and wasn't moved though i had enjoyed abysskiss a little) until i was blown away by u.f.o.f. and returning to capacity since then made it really open up for me.

Through it all, the band held on to a firm internal sense of self. “We all have our own Big Thief-i-ness barometers,” says Krivchenia. “We did some stuff that, listening back to it, we were like, ‘Wow, people would flip if they heard this… but it’s not Big Thief-y.'”

Isn't this what b-sides are for?

Good point!

Looking forward to "Big Thief Gets Weird."

In the meantime I'm guessing this next one will be their strongest record by far.

reports from those who've got the album early are that the studio version of "dragon" is a mellow folk tune like adrianne's solo version and not the awesome rock version they've been playing live

hope the rock version is the jp bonus track then

I heard some folks' preorders are arriving already

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

Buck Meek's album Haunted Mountain is quite different from Big Thief but very enjoyable. Title track is a favorite.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iv8uI2VXppA

first single from adrianne's new album out on tuesday

here's the single, "ruined"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iypx43W_YRg

it's lovely, interesting to hear her on piano. a rather different arrangement to the version big thief were playing earlier this year

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

lol whenever james does those autotuned pitch-shifted backing vocals it's so goofy

album is apparently bright future which means we can expect this will be on it

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iTS83wW0Oa0

I know this alb has its own thread, but since we come here more often:

December 8, 2023
For Immediate Release

BIG THIEF RELEASE NEW EDITION OF
DEBUT ALBUM, MASTERPIECE

LAUNCH BIG THIEF KARAOKE CHANNEL ON YOUTUBE

REMASTERED VINYL AVAILABLE NOW

Today, Big Thief release a new edition of their 2016 debut album Masterpiece. For the first time on 4AD, the album containing much-loved songs ‘Paul’, ‘Real Love’ and title track ‘Masterpiece’ is available, remastered and reissued.

Masterpiece was recorded in July 2015 at an old house that they turned into a studio on Lake Champlain with producer Andrew Sarlo and engineer James Krivchenia (who would go on to become Big Thief's full-time drummer). The resultant debut Big Thief studio album is filled with characters and visceral narratives, songs that pivot in the space of a few words. Adrianne Lenker's voice and guitar playing speak of rich emotional territory with grace and insight. In her words, the record tracks, "the masterpiece of existence, which is always folding into itself, people attempting to connect, to both shake themselves awake and to shake off the numbness of certain points in their life. The interpretations might be impressionistic or surrealistic, but they're grounded in simple things." It soars on what Big Thief fan Sharon Van Etten called "...a real journey, with intelligent stories and twist-and-turn melodies."

Big Thief also launched a karaoke channel on their YouTube today, featuring karaoke versions of the songs on Masterpiece.

BIG THIEF KARAOKE CHANNEL

asterpiece Tracklist:

1. Little Arrow
2. Masterpiece
3. Vegas
4. Real Love
5. Interstate
6. Lorraine
7. Paul
8. Humans
9. Velvet Ring
10. Animals
11. Randy
12. Parallels

Big Thief 2024 Tour Dates:
Sun. Aug. 18 – London, UK @ Gunnersbury Park (w/ PJ Harvey)
Wed. Aug. 21 - Sat. Aug. 24 – Torremolinos, ES @ Canela Party 2024

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

Channel starts here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9jFGy2oEMpg

haha that karaoke channel is ingenious

why not have both the original master and the remaster available online I wonder

this cover gets me every time
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R6YRAUKczyw
Steve Fisher - Anything (Adrianne Lenker Cover)

when she sings harmony ;_;