Masterpiece (Big Thief album)
| Masterpiece | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | May 27, 2016 | |||
| Recorded | July 1–July 12, 2015 | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 37:16 | |||
| Label | Saddle Creek | |||
| Producer | Andrew Sarlo | |||
| Big Thief chronology | ||||
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| Singles from Masterpiece | ||||
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Masterpiece is the debut studio album by the American band Big Thief, released through Saddle Creek Records on May 27, 2016.[4]
Recording
[edit]Masterpiece was recorded from July 1–July 12, 2015, on Lake Champlain in Essex, New York.[5][6]
Style
[edit]Jill Mapes of Pitchfork said Big Thief "shifts nimbly between lo-fi acoustic and throwback rock hooks, keeping everything noisy and tuneful".[2] Additionally, the album utilizes elements of honky-tonk, grunge and ambient noise music. The album's lyrics explore topics such as love, abuse and mental illness.[7][8]
Artwork
[edit]The album's cover features a photograph of Lenker's mother as a child, playing with a toy dinosaur.[9]
Critical reception
[edit]| Aggregate scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AnyDecentMusic? | 7.7/10[10] |
| Metacritic | 79/100[11] |
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [12] |
| DIY | [13] |
| Exclaim! | 8/10[14] |
| The Irish Times | [15] |
| Mojo | [16] |
| Pitchfork | 7.7/10[2] |
| PopMatters | 8/10[17] |
| Rolling Stone |  [1] |
| Spin | 7/10[18] |
| Uncut | 7/10[19] |
Masterpiece received positive reviews upon its release. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from music critics, the album has received an average score of 79, indicating "generally favorable reviews", based on 14 reviews.[11]
Jamie Milton of DIY said "With Adrianne Lenker at the helm, Big Thief can count themselves as emotionally destructive as Sharon Van Etten."[20]
Track listing
[edit]All tracks are written by Adrianne Lenker
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Little Arrow" | 1:58 |
| 2. | "Masterpiece" | 3:51 |
| 3. | "Vegas" | 2:19 |
| 4. | "Real Love" | 4:17 |
| 5. | "Interstate" | 3:24 |
| 6. | "Lorraine" | 1:53 |
| 7. | "Paul" | 3:04 |
| 8. | "Humans" | 3:23 |
| 9. | "Velvet Ring" | 2:36 |
| 10. | "Animals" | 2:59 |
| 11. | "Randy" | 3:09 |
| 12. | "Parallels" | 4:23 |
| Total length: | 37:16 | |
Personnel
[edit]Credits adapted from the album's liner notes.[5]
- Adrianne Lenker – guitar, vocals
- Buck Meek – lead guitar, vocals
- Max Oleartchik – bass
- Jason Burger – drums
- Andrew Sarlo – production, mixing, inner panel photos
- James Krivchenia – engineering, additional production
- Sarah Register – mastering
- Jadon Ulrich – album design
- Matteo Spaccarelli – "I like a truck"
References
[edit]- ^ a b Dolan, Jon (June 13, 2016). "Masterpiece". Rolling Stone. Retrieved February 6, 2018.
- ^ a b c d Mapes, Jillian (June 6, 2016). "Big Thief: Masterpiece". Pitchfork. Retrieved February 6, 2018.
- ^ a b c Walker-Smart, Sam (June 6, 2016). "Big Thief - Masterpiece". Clash. Retrieved August 6, 2022.
- ^ "Masterpiece". Saddle Creek Records. Retrieved February 6, 2018.
- ^ a b Masterpiece (liner notes). Big Thief. Saddle Creek. 2016. LBJ-233.
{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link) - ^ Corrigan, Lizz (May 26, 2016). "Review: Big Thief - Masterpiece". SLUG Magazine. Retrieved December 1, 2021.
- ^ "Masterpiece Review by Marcy Donelson". AllMusic. Retrieved December 2, 2024.
- ^ Weiss, Dan. "Review: Big Thief Are Halfway to a Low-Strung 'Masterpiece'". Spin. Retrieved December 2, 2024.
- ^ Zoladz, Lindsay (April 30, 2019). "The Big Themes and Big Dreams of Big Thief". The Ringer (website). Retrieved November 19, 2022.
- ^ "Masterpiece by Big Thief reviews". AnyDecentMusic?. Retrieved October 19, 2019.
- ^ a b "Reviews for Masterpiece by Big Thief". Metacritic. Retrieved February 6, 2018.
- ^ Donelson, Marcy. "Masterpiece – Big Thief". AllMusic. Retrieved February 6, 2018.
- ^ Milton, Jamie (May 27, 2016). "Big Thief – Masterpiece". DIY. Retrieved May 7, 2019.
- ^ Williams, Matt (May 25, 2016). "Big Thief: Masterpiece". Exclaim!. Retrieved May 7, 2019.
- ^ Carroll, Jim (August 11, 2016). "Big Thief – Masterpiece album review: a record that backs up the boast of its title". The Irish Times. Retrieved May 7, 2019.
- ^ Yates, Matt (June 2016). "Big Thief: Masterpiece". Mojo (271): 93.
- ^ Rodríguez, Juan Edgardo (June 5, 2016). "Big Thief: Masterpiece". PopMatters. Retrieved May 7, 2019.
- ^ Weiss, Dan (June 1, 2016). "Review: Big Thief Are Halfway to a Low-Strung 'Masterpiece'". Spin. Retrieved May 7, 2019.
- ^ Watts, Peter (July 2016). "Big Thief: Masterpiece". Uncut (230): 69.
- ^ Milton, Jamie. "Big Thief - Masterpiece". DIY. Retrieved December 2, 2024.
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