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Masterpiece (Big Thief album)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Masterpiece
Studio album by
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.[4]

Recording

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Masterpiece was recorded from July 1–July 12, 2015, on Lake Champlain in Essex, New York.[5][6]

Artwork

[edit]

The album's cover features a photograph of Lenker's mother as a child, playing with a toy dinosaur.[7]

Critical reception

[edit]
Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
AnyDecentMusic?7.7/10[8]
Metacritic79/100[9]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[10]
DIY[11]
Exclaim!8/10[12]
The Irish Times[13]
Mojo[14]
Pitchfork7.7/10[2]
PopMatters8/10[15]
Rolling Stone[1]
Spin7/10[16]
Uncut7/10[17]

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.[9]

Track listing

[edit]

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

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Credits adapted from the album's liner notes.[5]

  • 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

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  1. ^ a b Dolan, Jon (June 13, 2016). "Masterpiece". Rolling Stone. Retrieved February 6, 2018.
  2. ^ a b c Mapes, Jillian (June 6, 2016). "Big Thief: Masterpiece". Pitchfork. Retrieved February 6, 2018.
  3. ^ a b c Walker-Smart, Sam (June 6, 2016). "Big Thief - Masterpiece". Clash. Retrieved August 6, 2022.
  4. ^ "Masterpiece". Saddle Creek Records. Retrieved February 6, 2018.
  5. ^ a b 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. ^ Zoladz, Lindsay (April 30, 2019). "The Big Themes and Big Dreams of Big Thief". The Ringer (website). Retrieved November 19, 2022.
  8. ^ "Masterpiece by Big Thief reviews". AnyDecentMusic?. Retrieved October 19, 2019.
  9. ^ a b "Reviews for Masterpiece by Big Thief". Metacritic. Retrieved February 6, 2018.
  10. ^ Donelson, Marcy. "Masterpiece – Big Thief". AllMusic. Retrieved February 6, 2018.
  11. ^ Milton, Jamie (May 27, 2016). "Big Thief – Masterpiece". DIY. Retrieved May 7, 2019.
  12. ^ Williams, Matt (May 25, 2016). "Big Thief: Masterpiece". Exclaim!. Retrieved May 7, 2019.
  13. ^ 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.
  14. ^ Yates, Matt (June 2016). "Big Thief: Masterpiece". Mojo (271): 93.
  15. ^ Rodríguez, Juan Edgardo (June 5, 2016). "Big Thief: Masterpiece". PopMatters. Retrieved May 7, 2019.
  16. ^ Weiss, Dan (June 1, 2016). "Review: Big Thief Are Halfway to a Low-Strung 'Masterpiece'". Spin. Retrieved May 7, 2019.
  17. ^ Watts, Peter (July 2016). "Big Thief: Masterpiece". Uncut (230): 69.