| Masterpiece | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | May 27, 2016 | |||
| Recorded | July 1–July 12, 2015 | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 37:16 | |||
| Label | Saddle Creek | |||
| Producer | Andrew Sarlo | |||
| Big Thief chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Singles from Masterpiece | ||||
| ||||
Masterpiece is the debut studio album by the American band Big Thief, released through Saddle Creek Records on May 27, 2016. [4]
Masterpiece was recorded from July 1–July 12, 2015, on Lake Champlain in Essex, New York. [5] [6]
Jill Mapes of Pitchfork said Big Thief "shifts nimbly between lo-fi acoustic and throwback rock hooks, keeping everything noisy and tuneful". [2] 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. [7] [8]
The album's cover features a photograph of Lenker's mother as a child, playing with a toy dinosaur. [9]
| Aggregate scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AnyDecentMusic? | 7.7/10 [10] |
| Metacritic | 79/100 [11] |
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [12] |
| DIY | [13] |
| Exclaim! | 8/10 [14] |
| The Irish Times | [15] |
| Mojo | [16] |
| Pitchfork | 7.7/10 [2] |
| PopMatters | 8/10 [17] |
| Rolling Stone |  [1] |
| Spin | 7/10 [18] |
| Uncut | 7/10 [19] |
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. [11]
Jamie Milton of DIY said "With Adrianne Lenker at the helm, Big Thief can count themselves as emotionally destructive as Sharon Van Etten." [20]
All tracks are written by Adrianne Lenker
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 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 | |
Credits adapted from the album's liner notes. [5]
Saddle Creek Records is an American record label based in Omaha, Nebraska. Started as a college class project on entrepreneurship, the label was founded by Mike Mogis and Justin Oberst in 1993. Mogis soon turned over his role in the company to Robb Nansel. The label is named after Saddle Creek Road, a major street which cuts through midtown Omaha and also the beginnings of a scene whose members included Justin's brother Conor Oberst, Tim Kasher, and others. Collectively, they were known unofficially as the "Creekers". Saddle Creek first appeared in print on a show flyer, offering to "Spend an evening with Saddle Creek" Saddle Creek became an incorporated entity as a result of a class project on entrepreneurship. Distribution is handled by Redeye Distribution.
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