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Jun 22, 2016There are times when Lenker approaches Marissa Nadler’s eerie otherworldliness, though not for long. ... Couple that with a really good, dense, aggressive musical attack, led by Meek, but supported by bassist Max Oleartchik and drummer James Krivchenia, and you’ve got something special, especially in the more rock-oriented tunes like “Masterpiece,” “Humans” and, especially “Paul.”
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Jun 14, 2016There are a couple of missteps here and there, but the good stuff is really accomplished. Masterpiece is full of solid, low-key indie rock with rootsy leanings and should have no trouble quickly finding an audience for Big Thief.
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Jun 13, 2016The softer, acoustic songs recall Lenker's formative folk-singer past. But she's found the right band in Big Thief.
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Jun 6, 2016Much like Philadelphia’s Hop Along the group have managed to infuse occasional explosions of guitar with an emotive heart too often missing from the scene. It’s big, it’s clever, it’s Big Thief.
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Jun 6, 2016What doesn’t work as much are the attempts to make Masterpiece feel overly homemade.
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Jun 6, 2016What 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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Jun 2, 2016Modern folk fans take note; it’s not every day we get the pleasure of hearing such an accomplished debut.
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Jun 1, 2016Masterpiece never quite improves on this impressive opening run, though the profoundly un-country guitar pretzels of “Interstate” and “Humans” give Speedy Ortiz a run for their money, and the former even ends with one of Saddle Creek’s signature found recordings, just like one of those eight-minute Conor Oberst intros.
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May 31, 2016Big Thief ultimately nail the different shades of reckoning and self-introspection on their Saddle Creek debut. Many listeners will no doubt identify with and see pieces of their own struggles inside this album.
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May 27, 2016This is an emotional juggernaut--an avalanche, in fact. Just when they look to have delivered their parting blow, in steps another moment that captures life’s ups and downs with perfection.
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MojoMay 25, 2016The Brooklyn foursome's debut is the work of some feverishly creative minds, as it effortlessly genre-hops between dusty Americana, Breeders-style angular art-pop and off-kilter folk. [Jun 2016, p.93]
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UncutMay 25, 2016Big Thief are at their best when the instruments step back and create a mellower platform from which Lenker can dominate. [Jul 2016, p.69]
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May 25, 2016Rhythmically 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.
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May 25, 2016Lenker's writing in general is vivid, and bursts with the kind of verve its subject matter demands.
User score distribution:
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Positive: 36 out of 39
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Mixed: 2 out of 39
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Negative: 1 out of 39
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Jun 1, 2016
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Nov 2, 2019
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Mar 17, 2023