Capacity (album) Last updated June 23, 2025
2017 studio album
Capacity Released June 9, 2017 (2017-06-09 ) Studio Outlier Inn Recording (Woodridge, New York ) Figure 8 Recording (Brooklyn) Lethe Lounge (New York City) Black Lodge Recording (Brooklyn) [ a] Genre Length 41 :40 Label Saddle Creek Producer Andrew Sarlo "Mythological Beauty" 22, 2017 (2017-04-22 )"Shark Smile" 8, 2017 (2017-05-08 )
Capacity studio album by the American band Big Thief , released through Saddle Creek Records on June 9, 2017. [ 5]
Background and recording Capacity was recorded in a farmhouse that the band was house-sitting. With the owner out of town, the band was able to record uninterrupted for a month. The album was recorded on analog recording equipment. [ 6]
Music and lyrics According to Lizzie Manno of Paste Magazine : "Big Thief thrive on the magic they unearth seemingly from a past life . Lenker delivers poetic lines about nature that never appear trite with a voice that ranges from gentle to fierce, always with a mother-like comfort. [...] Capacity draws on earth's passing moments that are taken for granted, but it's grounded in humanity's brightest and darkest tendencies. Their tender, evocative indie-folk transcends any musical categorization." [ 7]
Artwork The album's cover artwork features a photograph of vocalist Adrianne Lenker 's uncle holding her as a newborn. [ 8]
Critical reception Capacity received critical acclaim 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 81, indicating "universal acclaim", based on 15 reviews. [ 10]
Paste Magazine included the album in their list of the best indie rock albums of the 2010s. Staff writer Lizzie Manno said "[the album is] dirty, heartbreaking, trustworthy, gorgeous and armed with a childlike wonder and well-worn sagacity. While their 2016 debut Masterpiece offered raw charm, 2017's Capacity has a keener eye and an intoxicating richness." [ 7]
Accolades Publication Accolade Rank Ref The Alternative The Alternative's Top 50 Albums of 2017 10 [ 19] BrooklynVegan BrooklynVegan's Top 50 Albums of 2017 13 [ 20] Flood Magazine The Best Albums of 2017 1 [ 21] NPR The 50 Best Albums of 2017 3 [ 22] Pitchfork The 50 Best Albums of 2017 23 [ 23] Rough Trade Rough Trade Albums of the Year 2017 4 [ 24] The Skinny The Skinny's Top 50 Albums of 2017 12 [ 25] Spin 50 Best Albums of 2017 2 [ 26] Vinyl Me, Please The Best Albums of 2017 8 [ 27]
Track listing All tracks are written by Adrianne Lenker , except where noted.
Title 1. "Pretty Things" 3:05 2. "Shark Smile" 4:00 3. "Capacity" 3:52 4. "Watering" (Adrianne Lenker, Zoë Lenker) 3:22 5. "Coma" 3:40 6. "Great White Shark" 3:23 7. "Mythological Beauty" 5:06 8. "Objects" 2:43 9. "Haley" 3:33 10. "Mary" 5:30 11. "Black Diamonds" 3:35 Total length: 41:40
Personnel Credits adapted from the album's liner notes . [ 28]
Big Thief
Adrianne Lenker – vocals (all tracks), acoustic guitar (1, 2, 4–7, 9), electric guitar (2–8, 11), background vocals (2, 4, 6, 8, 11), choir (3), French press (3), mouth trumpet (7), claps (8), ARP synthesizer (9) Buck Meek – electric guitar (2–4, 6–9, 11), choir (3), background vocals (5, 6, 8, 9), claps (8) Max Oleartchik – upright bass (1, 3), bass (2, 4–9, 11), choir (3) James Krivchenia – drums (2–9, 11), percussion (2–9), choir (3), Casio SK-1 (5), bells (6), howls (6), acoustic guitar (6), claps (8, 9), lap harp (8), background vocals (9), organ (10) Additional musicians
Andrew Sarlo – piano (1), choir (3), mouth trumpet (7) Unknown – stairs (1) Zoë Lenker – background vocals (4, 7, 8) Mat Davidson – background vocals (5, 6, 9), acoustic guitar (8), pump organ (8, 10), piano (10) Erin Birgy – howls (6) Michael Sachs – bass clarinet (10) Technical personnel
Andrew Sarlo – production (all tracks), engineering (all tracks), mixing (all tracks) Greg Calbi – mastering Josh Druckman – engineering [basics] (8) Artwork
Josh Goleman – band photo Notes ↑ Additional overdubs recorded at Black Lodge Recording in Brooklyn, New York References ↑ Breihan, Tom (June 6, 2017). "Album Of The Week: Big Thief Capacity" . Stereogum . Retrieved August 6, 2022 . 1 2 Moreland, Quinn (June 9, 2017). "Big Thief: Capacity" . Pitchfork . Retrieved December 20, 2017 . 1 2 Watts, Peter (July 4, 2017). "Big Thief – Capacity" . Uncut . Archived from the original on July 17, 2017. Retrieved December 17, 2019 . ↑ Kok, Dan (July 26, 2017). "Big Thief: Capacity" . PopMatters . Retrieved August 6, 2022 . ↑ "Capacity" . Saddle Creek Records . Retrieved December 20, 2017 . ↑ Writer, Zach Schonfeld Senior (July 19, 2017). "The Strange Majesty of Big Thief" . Newsweek . Retrieved October 5, 2024 . 1 2 "The 50 Best Indie Rock Albums of the 2010s" . Paste Magazine . Retrieved June 7, 2025 . ↑ Zoladz, Lindsay (April 30, 2019). "The Big Themes and Big Dreams of Big Thief" . The Ringer (website) . Retrieved November 19, 2022 . ↑ "Capacity by Big Thief reviews" . AnyDecentMusic?. Retrieved August 29, 2019 . 1 2 "Reviews and Tracks for Capacity by Big Thief" . Metacritic . Retrieved December 20, 2017 . ↑ Donelson, Marcy. "Capacity – Big Thief" . AllMusic . Retrieved December 20, 2017 . ↑ Terry, Josh (June 9, 2017). "Big Thief offers its rawest, most personal record yet with Capacity" . The A.V. Club . Retrieved May 16, 2018 . ↑ Flynn, Katherine (June 6, 2017). "Big Thief – Capacity" . Consequence of Sound . Retrieved May 16, 2018 . ↑ Lindsay, Cam (June 7, 2017). "Big Thief: Capacity" . Exclaim! . Retrieved May 16, 2018 . ↑ "Big Thief: Capacity". Mojo (284): 96. July 2017. ↑ Hermes, Will (June 21, 2017). "Review: Big Thief's 'Capacity' Is a Raw Folk-Rock Gem" . Rolling Stone . Retrieved December 20, 2017 . ↑ Ogden, Chris (June 5, 2017). "Big Thief – Capacity" . The Skinny . Retrieved May 16, 2018 . ↑ Christgau, Robert (November 4, 2017). "Robert Christgau on the Grown-Up Feelings of A. Savage and Big Thief" . Noisey . Vice . Retrieved May 16, 2018 . ↑ "The Alternative's Top 50 Albums of 2017 - The Alternative" . The Alternative . Retrieved December 27, 2017 . ↑ "BrooklynVegan's Top 50 Albums of 2017" . BrooklynVegan . December 22, 2017. Retrieved December 27, 2017 . ↑ "The Best Albums of 2017" . FLOOD . Retrieved December 27, 2017 . ↑ "The 50 Best Albums Of 2017 (10-1)" . NPR.org . Retrieved December 27, 2017 . ↑ "The 50 Best Albums of 2017 | Pitchfork" . pitchfork.com . December 12, 2017. Retrieved December 27, 2017 . ↑ "Capacity" . Rough Trade . Retrieved December 27, 2017 . ↑ "The Skinny's Top 50 Albums of 2017" . Retrieved December 27, 2017 . ↑ "50 Best Albums of 2017" . Spin . December 18, 2017. Retrieved December 27, 2017 . ↑ "The Best Albums Of 2017" . Vinyl Me Please . December 20, 2017. Retrieved December 27, 2017 . ↑ Capacity (liner notes). Big Thief . Saddle Creek . 2017. LBJ-255.{{cite AV media notes }}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link )
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