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Masterpiece
Rock · 2016 · 12 tracks

Masterpiece

A stunning debut of raw, tactile indie rock. Jagged electric guitars collide with intimate, whisper-to-scream vocals in a cabin by the lake.

May 27, 2016 · 4AD

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Gravel-scraped guitar chords collide with a voice that wavers between a bedroom whisper and a desperate, open-throated howl. Recorded in a lakeside house, these songs carry the smell of damp pine and hot tube amps. You are pulled into a space where fragile folk melodies get bruised by sudden, jagged static.

Tracklist · 12 Tracks
01
Little Arrow
1:58
02
Masterpiece
3:51
03
Vegas
2:19
04
Real Love
4:17
05
Interstate
3:24
06
Lorraine
1:53
07
Paul
3:04
08
Humans
3:23
09
Velvet Ring
2:36
10
Animals
2:59
11
Randy
3:09
12
Parallels
4:23
Moments Worth Waiting For
Reviews
PopMatters8/ 10
“What makes Masterpiece such an engrossing listen is how they regulate the songs to their bare essentials even when they’re at their most dynamic”
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Rolling Stone3.5/ 5 stars
“Even when the road backwards gets unbearably dark, this record feels like a hero’s journey”
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Clash
“It’s big, it’s clever, it’s Big Thief. Go visit”
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The Irish Times4/ 5 stars
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Spin7/ 10
“The title track doesn’t dishonor its subject matter, for one thing, swooning from chord to stunning chord”
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Exclaim!8/ 10
“Masterpiece may be flawed, but try to think of a magnum opus, or a life, that isn’t”
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Sputnik Music
“Modern folk fans take note; it’s not every day we get the pleasure of hearing such an accomplished debut”
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DIY4/ 5 stars
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AllMusic4/ 5 stars
“Wall-to-wall artful expression that finds a songwriter thriving as part of a four-piece”
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Pitchfork7.7/ 10
“The songs sound cherry-picked over a lifetime of writing, the stories carefully compiled”
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Paste
“Many listeners will no doubt identify with and see pieces of their own struggles inside this album. Despite some slight drag towards the end, Masterpiece speaks true to its moniker”
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AnyDecentMusic7.7/ 10
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How does Masterpiece sound next to the rest of Big Thief's catalogue?

Raw+1.1σ

Adrianne Lenker pushes her performance into a raw, unvarnished register where every crack and desperate scream feels entirely unfiltered.

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