Music Review: Big Thief, Masterpiece

By Melissa Bratcher

Nearly every person who will write about how Big Thief’s debut for Saddle Creek, Masterpiece, will note how nervy it is to name an album that… blah blah blah. I wanted to write that, too (because we’re all so very clever). And then we’ll all come to the same conclusion: it’s a pretty apt title.

Front woman Adrianne Lenker has a gorgeous voice; it’s delicate and gripping. Steel and homespun. Her lyrical voice is heartfelt, raw, and poetic. Her lyrics are the kind that you scrawl in a notebook to pry apart later, to think on and marvel at. Add the voice to the lyrics and then throw in melodies that don’t go where your ear expects them to. What do you have? Masterpiece.

Big Thief is Adrianne Lenker, the wonderfully named guitarist Buck Meek, Max Oleartchik on bass, and drummer James Krivchenia. The music is rich; it’s nostalgic and bold, with a certain heaviness that highlights the delicacy of Lenker’s vocals.

The title track, which follows the lo-fi “Little Arrow,” has an appealing muscularity and engaging melody. The chorus lingers in one’s brain long after the song is through. This line: “Stars filling up my throat / you gave them to me when I was born / now they’re coming out” is so evocative, as is Meek’s angular guitar solo. The gorgeous and intimate “Lorraine” (with the line I scribbled down in my notebook: “Like we were two hummingbirds / screaming at ravens”) is the stunning flip side.

The marriage of Meek’s guitar and Lenker’s voice is a consistent, fascinating factor to Big Thief’s music, like on the humming “Interstate.” The moments where her voice and his guitar are in sync are dynamic and electrifying, as is the dreamy bridge “You could go back in time” with the off-kilter guitar line. It’s arresting. This coupling of voice and guitar is a steady highlight, buoying the unexpected melody of “Velvet Ring” and the heavy yet ethereal road trip song “Vegas.”

The chorus of “Paul” is so perfect that it should be illegal. Instead, it’s magical. On this song of dark nights, lost loves, and choices that maybe aren’t the best, Lenker’s voice is consistently lovely but here it turns rueful, and she sings “But I push you from my brain” with quietness and fortitude and you can’t help but feel it to the marrow. “Randy,” too, is haunting and moving, with a delicacy and tangible sadness. “Real Love” is harrowing lyrically; is it domestic violence? Is it merely a metaphor? It’s wrapped in an unusual, raw vocal melody and chunky, frenetic guitar. It’s so hard to listen to but it’s also so gorgeous.

Listening to Big Thief’s debut is like listening to a collage of multiple, excellent bands. The track “Animals” exemplifies this—a gentle lope of guitar and bass and a languidness to the vocals that burst into a toothsome chorus. It’s dreamy folk, it’s a chunky rocker, it’s experimental new New Wave. And Big Thief is an excellent band. Masterpiece is a mind-blowing, richly evocative debut.

Masterpiece was released on May 27 by Saddle Creek.

Tour Dates:
Fri. June 10 – Nashville, TN @ The Basement
Sat. June 11 – St. Louis, MO @ Blueberry Hill’s Duck Room w/ M. Ward
Sun. June 12 – Louisville, KY @ Headliners Music Hall w/ M. Ward
Mon. June 13 – Bloomington, IN @ The Bluebird w/ M. Ward
Tue. June 14 – Davenport, IA @ Daytrotter w/ Rodrigo Amarante
Wed. June 15 – Minneapolis, MN @ 7th Street Entry w/ Adia Victoria
Thu. June 16 – Chicago, IL @ Thalia Hall w/ M. Ward
Fri. June 17 – Milwaukee, WI @ Pabst Theater w/ M. Ward
Sat. June 18 – Detroit, MI @ UFO Factory w/ Chastity Belt
Sun. June 19 – Toronto, ON @ The Drake Hotel (NxNE FEstival)
Mon. June 20 – Pittsburgh, PA @ Spirit
Thu. June 23 – Brooklyn, NY @ Celebrate Brooklyn! Festival
Tue. June 28 – Dallas, TX @ Club Dada w/ Kevin Morby
Wed. June 29 – Austin, TX @ Sidewinder w/ Kevin Morby
Fri. July 1 – Phoenix, AZ @ Valley Bar w/ Kevin Morby
Sat. July 2 – San Diego, CA @ Casbah w/ Kevin Morby
Fri. Sept. 23 – New York, NY @ Central Park Summerstage w/ Lucius, JD McPherson