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Masterpiece (Big Thief album)

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2016 studio album by Big Thief
Masterpiece
Studio album by Big Thief
ReleasedMay 27, 2016 (2016-05-27)
RecordedJuly 1–July 12, 2015
Genre
Length37:16
LabelSaddle Creek
ProducerAndrew Sarlo
Big Thief chronology
Masterpiece
(2016) 		Capacity
(2017)
Singles from Masterpiece
  1. "Masterpiece"
    Released: February 19, 2016 (2016-02-19)
  2. "Real Love"
    Released: March 17, 2016 (2016-03-17)
  3. "Paul"
    Released: May 14, 2016 (2016-05-14)

Masterpiece is the debut studio album by the American band Big Thief, released through Saddle Creek Records on May 27, 2016.

Recording

Masterpiece was recorded from July 1–July 12, 2015, on Lake Champlain in Essex, New York.

Style

Jill Mapes of Pitchfork said Big Thief "shifts nimbly between lo-fi acoustic and throwback rock hooks, keeping everything noisy and tuneful". 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.

Artwork

The album's cover features a photograph of Lenker's mother as a child, playing with a toy dinosaur.

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
AnyDecentMusic?7.7/10
Metacritic79/100
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic
DIY
Exclaim!8/10
The Irish Times
Mojo
Pitchfork7.7/10
PopMatters8/10
Rolling Stone
Spin7/10
Uncut7/10

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.

Jamie Milton of DIY said "With Adrianne Lenker at the helm, Big Thief can count themselves as emotionally destructive as Sharon Van Etten."

Track listing

All tracks are written by Adrianne Lenker

No.TitleLength
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

Credits adapted from the album's liner notes.

  • 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

  1. ^ Dolan, Jon (June 13, 2016). "Masterpiece". Rolling Stone. Retrieved February 6, 2018.
  2. ^ Mapes, Jillian (June 6, 2016). "Big Thief: Masterpiece". Pitchfork. Retrieved February 6, 2018.
  3. ^ Walker-Smart, Sam (June 6, 2016). "Big Thief - Masterpiece". Clash. Retrieved August 6, 2022.
  4. "Masterpiece". Saddle Creek Records. Retrieved February 6, 2018.
  5. ^ Masterpiece (liner notes). Big Thief. Saddle Creek. 2016. LBJ-233.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  6. Corrigan, Lizz (May 26, 2016). "Review: Big Thief - Masterpiece". SLUG Magazine. Retrieved December 1, 2021.
  7. "Masterpiece Review by Marcy Donelson". AllMusic. Retrieved December 2, 2024.
  8. Weiss, Dan. "Review: Big Thief Are Halfway to a Low-Strung 'Masterpiece'". Spin. Retrieved December 2, 2024.
  9. Zoladz, Lindsay (April 30, 2019). "The Big Themes and Big Dreams of Big Thief". The Ringer (website). Retrieved November 19, 2022.
  10. "Masterpiece by Big Thief reviews". AnyDecentMusic?. Retrieved October 19, 2019.
  11. ^ "Reviews for Masterpiece by Big Thief". Metacritic. Retrieved February 6, 2018.
  12. Donelson, Marcy. "Masterpiece – Big Thief". AllMusic. Retrieved February 6, 2018.
  13. Milton, Jamie (May 27, 2016). "Big Thief – Masterpiece". DIY. Retrieved May 7, 2019.
  14. Williams, Matt (May 25, 2016). "Big Thief: Masterpiece". Exclaim!. Retrieved May 7, 2019.
  15. 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.
  16. Yates, Matt (June 2016). "Big Thief: Masterpiece". Mojo (271): 93.
  17. Rodríguez, Juan Edgardo (June 5, 2016). "Big Thief: Masterpiece". PopMatters. Retrieved May 7, 2019.
  18. Weiss, Dan (June 1, 2016). "Review: Big Thief Are Halfway to a Low-Strung 'Masterpiece'". Spin. Retrieved May 7, 2019.
  19. Watts, Peter (July 2016). "Big Thief: Masterpiece". Uncut (230): 69.
  20. Milton, Jamie. "Big Thief - Masterpiece". DIY. Retrieved December 2, 2024.
Big Thief
  • Jason Burger
  • Max Oleartchik
Studio albums
Singles"Not"
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