Big Thief

Vinyl Records and Rare LPs:

	Capacity New - Vinyl - LBJ-255 Sealed 2017 Original Black Vinyl, Custom Hype Sticker On Shrink. Engineered, Produced And Mixed By Andrew Sarlo. "After Making Waves On Critics' Year-end Lists And On Tour In Support Of Their Debut Lp, 2016's Masterpiece, Big Thief Follow It Up Almost Exactly A Year Later With Capacity, A Thematic And Sonic Sequel. Lead Singer And Songwriter Adrianne Lenker Has Remarked That The Albums Are Indeed "Connected." While She Still Writes Entirely From Personal Experience Here, Not Invoking Characters, The Act Of Releasing The Band's Debut -- A Record With Moments That Hit The Musical Equivalent Of A Raw Nerve -- Along With Playing The Songs Over And Over Live, Provided A Sort Of Healing Through Immersion That Can Be Heard In The Increased Composure Of Capacity. The Record Is Still Intense And Affecting, Though, With Guitars That Sometimes Seem To Sob In Sympathy With Lenker's Vulnerable Lyrics And Delivery. The Latter Two Take Center Stage Right From The Opener, "Pretty Things." It's An Explicit Solo Acoustic Guitar Piece That Has Her Addressing Concepts Of Masculinity, Femininity, And Related Interpretations Of Strength ("There's A Woman Inside Of Me/there's One Inside Of You, Too/and She Don't Always Do Pretty Things"). Later, "Mythological Beauty" Includes The Recounting Of A Near-fatal Childhood Event (From The Perspective Of Both Her And Her Mother) Where The Family Treehouse Collapsed, Hitting Lenker On The Head. The Devastating "Shark Smile" Opens With A Cacophony Of Electric Guitar And Drums Before Settling Into A Catchy Folk-rock Tune About A Car Accident Where Half Of A Couple Is Killed. It's One Of Those Pretty Songs Where The Subject Matter May Be Easy To Overlook. There's Plenty More Heavy Material To Uncover (Including A Song Called "Coma"), Though It's All Wrapped In A Captivating Musicality That Combines The Power Of Folk Storytelling, Poetry, And Rock Angst. In The Case Of Capacity, It's A Quiet Power." AMG Review By Marcy Donelson. more
	Capacity New - Vinyl - LBJ-255 Sealed 2017 Original Black Vinyl, Custom Hype Sticker On Shrink. Engineered, Produced And Mixed By Andrew Sarlo. "After Making Waves On Critics' Year-end Lists And On Tour In Support Of Their Debut Lp, 2016's Masterpiece, Big Thief Follow It Up Almost Exactly A Year Later With Capacity, A Thematic And Sonic Sequel. Lead Singer And Songwriter Adrianne Lenker Has Remarked That The Albums Are Indeed "Connected." While She Still Writes Entirely From Personal Experience Here, Not Invoking Characters, The Act Of Releasing The Band's Debut -- A Record With Moments That Hit The Musical Equivalent Of A Raw Nerve -- Along With Playing The Songs Over And Over Live, Provided A Sort Of Healing Through Immersion That Can Be Heard In The Increased Composure Of Capacity. The Record Is Still Intense And Affecting, Though, With Guitars That Sometimes Seem To Sob In Sympathy With Lenker's Vulnerable Lyrics And Delivery. The Latter Two Take Center Stage Right From The Opener, "Pretty Things." It's An Explicit Solo Acoustic Guitar Piece That Has Her Addressing Concepts Of Masculinity, Femininity, And Related Interpretations Of Strength ("There's A Woman Inside Of Me/there's One Inside Of You, Too/and She Don't Always Do Pretty Things"). Later, "Mythological Beauty" Includes The Recounting Of A Near-fatal Childhood Event (From The Perspective Of Both Her And Her Mother) Where The Family Treehouse Collapsed, Hitting Lenker On The Head. The Devastating "Shark Smile" Opens With A Cacophony Of Electric Guitar And Drums Before Settling Into A Catchy Folk-rock Tune About A Car Accident Where Half Of A Couple Is Killed. It's One Of Those Pretty Songs Where The Subject Matter May Be Easy To Overlook. There's Plenty More Heavy Material To Uncover (Including A Song Called "Coma"), Though It's All Wrapped In A Captivating Musicality That Combines The Power Of Folk Storytelling, Poetry, And Rock Angst. In The Case Of Capacity, It's A Quiet Power." AMG Review By Marcy Donelson. more
	Dragon New Warm Mountain I Believe In You New - Vinyl - 4AD0408LP Sealed 2022 2LP Standard Black Vinyl Original. "After Years Refining Their Americana Punk Sound Into Something Laser Sharp And Often Brilliant, Parquet Courts Started Messing With The Formula. First Came An Ep With Rapper Bun B In 2017, Then A Collaboration With Italian Producer Daniele Luppi And Karen O On The Tightly Arranged And Subtle Milano. Meanwhile, The Courts Themselves Were Working With Producer Danger Mouse (Aka Brian Burton) On Their Most Diverse Album Yet, Wide Awake! Songwriters A. Savage And Austin Brown Took The Opportunity To Write A Batch Of Songs That Flipped Between The Traditional Parquet Courts Sound And Those That Indulged Their Interests Outside That Tightly Scripted Sound. The Tracks That Hew To The Usual Rollicking, Rolling Punk Formula, Like The Romping "Total Football," The Ripping, Double-Sided Rocker "Almost Had To Start A Fight/In And Out Of Patience," And The Super Tight "Extinction," Have All The Energy The Band Has Always Displayed, With The Tighter Focus And Precision That A Burton Production Usually Brings. The Rest Of The Album Is All Over The Place As It Jumps From Vitriolic Beastie Boys-Ish Funk On "Violence," Where Savage Shreds His Vocal Chords As He Tears Modern Society A New One; Jangling, Organ-Led Folk-Rock On "Freebird II"; Liquid Liquid-Esque Dance Punk (The Title Track); A Gently Rolling Tune That Sounds Like A Lost Warren Zevon Gem ("Tenderness"), To A Batch Of Tracks That Take On The Specials' "Ghost Town" From A Variety Of Angles ("Mardi Gras Beads" Melds It With Some Shins-y Melancholy, "Death Will Bring Change" Adds A Choir Of Kids Singing The Chorus, And "Back To Earth" Only Needs Some Trombone To Actually Be "Ghost Town"). It's A Daring Leap Into The Unknown For The Band And For The Most Part It Works, Thanks To Burton's Acumen Behind The Desk, The Band's Energy, And Dedication To Explore Each Tributary Fully, Savage's Elastic Vocals And Pointed Lyrics, And Maybe Most Importantly, The Songs. No Matter What They Try, The Hooks Are Sharp And Memorable. This Simple Fact Makes Each Experiment Work Well, And When They Falter A Little (Like On The Meandering Blues-funk "Before The Water Gets Too High") It's Still Worth Hearing. The Larger Question Is Whether The Band Needed To Grow Their Sound To Take On Dance Punk, Spooky New Wave, Or Classic Rock; It's Not Like They Were Running Out Of Steam With The Old Sound As The Classic PC Songs Here Clearly Show. The Answer May Lie Within Each Listener. Those Who Are Open To Hearing The Band Take On A Variety Of Styles And Bend Them To Their Will Should Be Very Happy With Wide Awake! Those Who Want The Band To Crank Out An Album Of Just Bitter, Bopping Punk May Have To Wait Until Next Time." AMG - Marcy Donelson. more
	Dragon New Warm Mountain I Believe In You New - Vinyl - 4AD0408LP Sealed 2022 2LP Original On "Eco-Mix" Recycled Vinyl, Randomly Coloured. "After Years Refining Their Americana Punk Sound Into Something Laser Sharp And Often Brilliant, Parquet Courts Started Messing With The Formula. First Came An Ep With Rapper Bun B In 2017, Then A Collaboration With Italian Producer Daniele Luppi And Karen O On The Tightly Arranged And Subtle Milano. Meanwhile, The Courts Themselves Were Working With Producer Danger Mouse (Aka Brian Burton) On Their Most Diverse Album Yet, Wide Awake! Songwriters A. Savage And Austin Brown Took The Opportunity To Write A Batch Of Songs That Flipped Between The Traditional Parquet Courts Sound And Those That Indulged Their Interests Outside That Tightly Scripted Sound. The Tracks That Hew To The Usual Rollicking, Rolling Punk Formula, Like The Romping "Total Football," The Ripping, Double-sided Rocker "Almost Had To Start A Fight/in And Out Of Patience," And The Super Tight "Extinction," Have All The Energy The Band Has Always Displayed, With The Tighter Focus And Precision That A Burton Production Usually Brings. The Rest Of The Album Is All Over The Place As It Jumps From Vitriolic Beastie Boys-ish Funk On "Violence," Where Savage Shreds His Vocal Chords As He Tears Modern Society A New One; Jangling, Organ-led Folk-rock On "Freebird Ii"; Liquid Liquid-esque Dance Punk (The Title Track); A Gently Rolling Tune That Sounds Like A Lost Warren Zevon Gem ("Tenderness"), To A Batch Of Tracks That Take On The Specials' "Ghost Town" From A Variety Of Angles ("Mardi Gras Beads" Melds It With Some Shins-y Melancholy, "Death Will Bring Change" Adds A Choir Of Kids Singing The Chorus, And "Back To Earth" Only Needs Some Trombone To Actually Be "Ghost Town"). It's A Daring Leap Into The Unknown For The Band And For The Most Part It Works, Thanks To Burton's Acumen Behind The Desk, The Band's Energy, And Dedication To Explore Each Tributary Fully, Savage's Elastic Vocals And Pointed Lyrics, And Maybe Most Importantly, The Songs. No Matter What They Try, The Hooks Are Sharp And Memorable. This Simple Fact Makes Each Experiment Work Well, And When They Falter A Little (Like On The Meandering Blues-funk "Before The Water Gets Too High") It's Still Worth Hearing. The Larger Question Is Whether The Band Needed To Grow Their Sound To Take On Dance Punk, Spooky New Wave, Or Classic Rock; It's Not Like They Were Running Out Of Steam With The Old Sound As The Classic Pc Songs Here Clearly Show. The Answer May Lie Within Each Listener. Those Who Are Open To Hearing The Band Take On A Variety Of Styles And Bend Them To Their Will Should Be Very Happy With Wide Awake! Those Who Want The Band To Crank Out An Album Of Just Bitter, Bopping Punk May Have To Wait Until Next Time." AMG Review By Marcy Donelson. more
	Dragon New Warm Mountain I Believe In You New - Vinyl - 4AD0408LP Sealed 2022 2LP Standard Black Vinyl Original. "After Years Refining Their Americana Punk Sound Into Something Laser Sharp And Often Brilliant, Parquet Courts Started Messing With The Formula. First Came An Ep With Rapper Bun B In 2017, Then A Collaboration With Italian Producer Daniele Luppi And Karen O On The Tightly Arranged And Subtle Milano. Meanwhile, The Courts Themselves Were Working With Producer Danger Mouse (Aka Brian Burton) On Their Most Diverse Album Yet, Wide Awake! Songwriters A. Savage And Austin Brown Took The Opportunity To Write A Batch Of Songs That Flipped Between The Traditional Parquet Courts Sound And Those That Indulged Their Interests Outside That Tightly Scripted Sound. The Tracks That Hew To The Usual Rollicking, Rolling Punk Formula, Like The Romping "Total Football," The Ripping, Double-Sided Rocker "Almost Had To Start A Fight/In And Out Of Patience," And The Super Tight "Extinction," Have All The Energy The Band Has Always Displayed, With The Tighter Focus And Precision That A Burton Production Usually Brings. The Rest Of The Album Is All Over The Place As It Jumps From Vitriolic Beastie Boys-Ish Funk On "Violence," Where Savage Shreds His Vocal Chords As He Tears Modern Society A New One; Jangling, Organ-Led Folk-Rock On "Freebird II"; Liquid Liquid-Esque Dance Punk (The Title Track); A Gently Rolling Tune That Sounds Like A Lost Warren Zevon Gem ("Tenderness"), To A Batch Of Tracks That Take On The Specials' "Ghost Town" From A Variety Of Angles ("Mardi Gras Beads" Melds It With Some Shins-y Melancholy, "Death Will Bring Change" Adds A Choir Of Kids Singing The Chorus, And "Back To Earth" Only Needs Some Trombone To Actually Be "Ghost Town"). It's A Daring Leap Into The Unknown For The Band And For The Most Part It Works, Thanks To Burton's Acumen Behind The Desk, The Band's Energy, And Dedication To Explore Each Tributary Fully, Savage's Elastic Vocals And Pointed Lyrics, And Maybe Most Importantly, The Songs. No Matter What They Try, The Hooks Are Sharp And Memorable. This Simple Fact Makes Each Experiment Work Well, And When They Falter A Little (Like On The Meandering Blues-funk "Before The Water Gets Too High") It's Still Worth Hearing. The Larger Question Is Whether The Band Needed To Grow Their Sound To Take On Dance Punk, Spooky New Wave, Or Classic Rock; It's Not Like They Were Running Out Of Steam With The Old Sound As The Classic PC Songs Here Clearly Show. The Answer May Lie Within Each Listener. Those Who Are Open To Hearing The Band Take On A Variety Of Styles And Bend Them To Their Will Should Be Very Happy With Wide Awake! Those Who Want The Band To Crank Out An Album Of Just Bitter, Bopping Punk May Have To Wait Until Next Time." AMG - Marcy Donelson. more
	Masterpiece New - Vinyl - LBJ-233 Sealed 2017 Repress. "Having Taken The Bold Step Of Naming Their First Album Masterpiece, Big Thief Deliver A Suitably Ambitious Debut Of Disquieting Indie Rock That Labors In Self-Examination And Topics Like The Potential Brutality Of Love. With The Detachment Of A Hissing Cassette Demo, The Opener, "Little Arrow," Introduces Lead Singer And Songwriter Adrianne Lenker's Brittle, Emotive Vocal Delivery Accompanied By Only Acoustic Guitar As She Sings The Two-minute Lament. When The Title Track Follows With The Weight Of Full Production Behind It, It Takes Us From Lenker's Solo Days To Her New, Fortified Venture With A Full Band, Though Her Vocal Frailty And Lyrical Intimacy Remain Intact. The Catchy "Masterpiece" Showcases The Band's Loose Disposition, With Guitars Sometimes Seeming To Spontaneously Lose Composure. A Showstopper That Radiates This Quality Is The Sinuous "Real Love," Which Begins With Mere Vocals And Unison Guitar As The Singer Recounts Scenes With An Abuser ("Real Love Makes Your Lungs Black/Real Love Is A Heart Attack"). The Guitar Lines Crack And Cry Along With Her As The Song Gains Momentum, Ending With The Musical Equivalent Of A Shootout. In Contrast But Intense In Its Own Way, "Randy" Is An Otherwise Gentle Ballad Marked By Dissonance And Ambient Noise That Speak To The Topic Of Dubious Mental Health. Elsewhere Exploring The Human Condition, The Ambling "Parallels" Has Her Asking A Caterpillar How To Metamorphose ("I Can't Say That I'll Miss My Human Form Much"). Rhythmically A Balanced Mix Of Energetic Grooves And Melancholy Explorations, The Album Is Wall-To-Wall Artful Expression That Finds A Songwriter Thriving As Part Of A Four-piece." AMG - Marcy Donelson. more
	Two Hands New - Vinyl - 4AD0180LP Sealed 2019 Original, Housed In A Gatefold Jacket. Small Custom Hype Sticker On Front. Produced By Andrew Sarlo. "Following Quickly On The Heels Of The Spacey, Artful U.f.o.f. -- By Five Months, To Be Exact -- Big Thief's Fourth Long-player, Two Hands, Was Recorded Just Days After Its Contrasting Sister Album. However, While U.f.o.f. Was Tracked At A Wooded Facility Outside Of Seattle, The Band Deliberately Moved To The 100-plus-degree Environs Of A Desert Studio West Of El Paso For Two Hands. The Humid-versus-dry Distinction Makes For A Convenient Musical Simile, As Two Hands Commits To A Crisper, More Jagged Sound On A Rawer Set Of Indie Rock Songs. Though Less Improvised-sounding On The Whole Than Its Predecessor, The Loose Two Hands Was Recorded Live With Few Overdubs By The Same Crew (Producer Andrew Sarlo And Engineer/mixer Dom Monks, Though Drummer James Krivchenia Helped Mix This Time Around). The Album Opens With "Rock And Sing," A Short, Lullaby-like Introduction. Typically Intimate Lyrics From Singer/songwriter Adrianne Lenker Sound More Stream Of Consciousness Than Composed On The Track, With Lines Like "Hand Me That Cable/plug Into Anything/i Am Unstable/rock And Sing, Rock And Sing." It's Followed By Catchier Album Highlight "Forgotten Eyes," Which Settles Into The Visceral, Full-band Folk-rock Of Big Thief's Earlier Albums But With A Distinctly Immediate Recording Quality. (Though Any Such Descriptions Are Relative In The Case Of This Band.) Likewise Living And Breathing, The Simmering "Not" Has A Slightly Out-of-breath Lenker Delivering Near-constant Lyrics Alongside Insistent Drums, Fuzzy Guitar Chords, And Dissonant, Impulsive Guitar Effects Until The Song Breaks Open Into A Sometimes-screeching Jam Just Past The Midway Point. Other Songs On Two Hands Are Memorable For Different Reasons, Such As The Quirkier Guitar Tones Of The Skittering "Two Hands," The Folksy Harmonies Of "Replaced" (By Guitarist/co-writer Buck Meek), And The Stark Tenderness Of "Wolf" ("How You Seem To Follow Through/on Everything You Yearn For"). While It's Hard To Talk About Two Hands In 2019 Without The Context Of The Stunning U.f.o.f., The Album's Quality Stands On Its Own, Offering Its Own Grade Of Intimacy, Sound, And Feel For Alternate Moods." Allmusic Review By Marcy Donelson. more
	U.F.O.F New - Vinyl - 4AD0129LP Sealed 2019 On Standard Black Vinyl, Housed In A Gatefold Jacket. Small Custom Hype Sticker On Front. Produced By Andrew Sarlo. "By The Arrival Of Big Thief's Third Album, U.f.o.f. ("Ufo Friend" Per Lyrics In The Title Track), Songwriter Adrianne Lenker Had Established Herself As A Singular Force In Indie Music, Both Through Two Acclaimed Albums With Her Band And With More Delicate Solo Material Including 2018's Abysskiss. In The Meantime, Big Thief Had Toured Almost Constantly Between Preparing Their 2016 Debut, Masterpiece, And Recording U.f.o.f., All The While Becoming More And More Tight-knit As A Group. Their Development Is Not Only Evident In Differences Between 2017's Capacity And 2019's U.f.o.f., But Between U.f.o.f. And Abysskiss, As Spotlighted On Reworked Versions Of The Latter's "From" And "Terminal Paradise." Not Merely A Fuller Arrangement, U.f.o.f.'s "Terminal Paradise" Transforms The Quietly Howling Acoustic Guitar Elegy Into A Haunted, Improvisational Song. Without Changing The Main Melody, The Band Animates Lyrics Like "See My Death Become A Trail/and The Trail Leads To A Flower" With Components Including Spectral Voice Samples, Rattling Sound Effects, And Fast, Sustained Strumming. This Atmospheric Treatment Is Indicative Of A More Exploratory Album That Presents Ambient-leaning Folk-rock Collages That Combine Voice And Noise Samples, Improvised Instruments, And Lenker's Naked Poetry And Brittle Vocal Performances With Structured Song. (All Bandmembers Are Credited In The Liner Notes With "Ambience.") The Title Track's Skittering Drums, Meandering Arpeggiated Guitars, And Humming Synths, For Instance, Create An Otherworldly Undercurrent For Wispily Delivered Lyrics Such As "Like A Seed In The Wind/she’s Taking Up Root In The Sky/see Her Flickering." Elsewhere, "Orange" Is A Sparer Love Song That Makes Room For Lines Like "Fragile Means That I Can Hear Her Flesh/crying Little Rivers In Her Forearm/fragile Is That I Mourn Her Death/as Our Limbs Are Twisting In Her Bedroom." Some Of The More Remarkable Performance Choices Here Include Lenker Committing To An Eerily Low, Half-whispered Vocal Line Out Of Her Range On "Betsy," And The Screams And Guitar Distortion On Trippy Opening Track "Contact." Steadily Warm And Atmospheric Despite These More Volatile Elements, The Set Also Includes The Relatively Catchy "Century," Which Has Lenker Joined By Bandmate Buck Meek On Affable Vocal Harmonies. A Foray Into Artful Album Rock For The Band, U.f.o.f.'s Shifts In Presentation Are Subtle And Seem Wholly Organic Throughout. It's A Record Deserving Of Such An Evocative Title, Which Captures Its Dreamily Impressionistic Yet Unsettling Nature." Allmusic Review By Marcy Donelson. more
	U.F.O.F. New - Vinyl - 4AD0129LP Sealed 2019 On Standard Black Vinyl, Housed In A Gatefold Jacket. Small Custom Hype Sticker On Front. Produced By Andrew Sarlo. "By The Arrival Of Big Thief's Third Album, U.f.o.f. ("Ufo Friend" Per Lyrics In The Title Track), Songwriter Adrianne Lenker Had Established Herself As A Singular Force In Indie Music, Both Through Two Acclaimed Albums With Her Band And With More Delicate Solo Material Including 2018's Abysskiss. In The Meantime, Big Thief Had Toured Almost Constantly Between Preparing Their 2016 Debut, Masterpiece, And Recording U.f.o.f., All The While Becoming More And More Tight-knit As A Group. Their Development Is Not Only Evident In Differences Between 2017's Capacity And 2019's U.f.o.f., But Between U.f.o.f. And Abysskiss, As Spotlighted On Reworked Versions Of The Latter's "From" And "Terminal Paradise." Not Merely A Fuller Arrangement, U.f.o.f.'s "Terminal Paradise" Transforms The Quietly Howling Acoustic Guitar Elegy Into A Haunted, Improvisational Song. Without Changing The Main Melody, The Band Animates Lyrics Like "See My Death Become A Trail/and The Trail Leads To A Flower" With Components Including Spectral Voice Samples, Rattling Sound Effects, And Fast, Sustained Strumming. This Atmospheric Treatment Is Indicative Of A More Exploratory Album That Presents Ambient-leaning Folk-rock Collages That Combine Voice And Noise Samples, Improvised Instruments, And Lenker's Naked Poetry And Brittle Vocal Performances With Structured Song. (All Bandmembers Are Credited In The Liner Notes With "Ambience.") The Title Track's Skittering Drums, Meandering Arpeggiated Guitars, And Humming Synths, For Instance, Create An Otherworldly Undercurrent For Wispily Delivered Lyrics Such As "Like A Seed In The Wind/she’s Taking Up Root In The Sky/see Her Flickering." Elsewhere, "Orange" Is A Sparer Love Song That Makes Room For Lines Like "Fragile Means That I Can Hear Her Flesh/crying Little Rivers In Her Forearm/fragile Is That I Mourn Her Death/as Our Limbs Are Twisting In Her Bedroom." Some Of The More Remarkable Performance Choices Here Include Lenker Committing To An Eerily Low, Half-whispered Vocal Line Out Of Her Range On "Betsy," And The Screams And Guitar Distortion On Trippy Opening Track "Contact." Steadily Warm And Atmospheric Despite These More Volatile Elements, The Set Also Includes The Relatively Catchy "Century," Which Has Lenker Joined By Bandmate Buck Meek On Affable Vocal Harmonies. A Foray Into Artful Album Rock For The Band, U.f.o.f.'s Shifts In Presentation Are Subtle And Seem Wholly Organic Throughout. It's A Record Deserving Of Such An Evocative Title, Which Captures Its Dreamily Impressionistic Yet Unsettling Nature." Allmusic Review By Marcy Donelson. more