Masterpiece

Big Thief - Masterpiece
Critic Score
Based on 16 reviews
2016 Ratings: #163 / 1004
User Score
2016 Rank: #116
Liked by 200 people
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CRITIC REVIEWS

90
God Is in the TV

It’s an almost astonishingly good collection of alt rock and folk songs made even better by the faultless storytelling and completely believable level of emotionality. Love is a struggle, but falling head over heels for Masterpiece isn’t.

82
Paste
Big 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.
80
PopMatters

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. Big Thief is a band that understands that there’s much to explore within life’s empty spaces, to never underestimate what’s not readily there and occupy it with grand, though modest, gestures.

80
AllMusic
Rhythmically 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.
80
DIY
Expect this to be the start of a huge career, even if this really is their ‘Masterpiece’.
80
Exclaim!

Masterpiece may be flawed, but try to think of a magnum opus, or a life, that isn't. The most exciting part is that it's likely Big Thief's best is yet to come.

80
Mojo
The 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.
80
The Sydney Morning Herald

Masterpiece – boldly titled but not wholly without cause – spins in territory between nonchalant and pungent

77
Pitchfork

On the rangy folk-rock band Big Thief's Saddle Creek debut Masterpiece, the songs sound cherry-picked over a lifetime of writing, the stories carefully compiled.

76
Sputnikmusic
Modern folk fans take note; it’s not every day we get the pleasure of hearing such an accomplished debut.
70
SPIN
Lenker isn’t the room-swallowing presence that Quinlan is, but she more than makes up for it in commanding songcraft, which skews dynamic (“Animals”), dissonant (“Interstate”), and placid (“Little Arrow”) without ever changing its sepia tone.
70
Rolling Stone
Even when the road backwards gets unbearably dark, this record feels like a hero's journey.
70
Clash
Simply put, Big Thief’s debut is a most pleasant surprise; a rich treasure trove of story and seduction.
70
Uncut

Romantic mystery from Brooklyn indie four-piece.

halbery
89

if only there were a word to convey how good this record is

DarkCat
59

(Analbumaday Day 214)

‘Big Thief’ is true, they stole 37 minutes of my life! I just listened to two 2 hour long albums and the most I was interested listening to this was about the least interested I was listening to either of those albums. Having a song that’s my name and having a budgie on the cover doesn’t mean I’ll enjoy it! Nah, I’m making it sound worse than it is, this is good, but definitely not my music taste at all. For a debut album, it’s ... read more

FiredNeutral
80

Big Thief Discog Dive 1/5

This one has been a long time coming. Big Thief!

I’ve been meaning to do a discog dive of this band ever since their latest album “Dragon New Warm Mountain I Believe In You” (try saying that five times fast god damn) came out last year. Besides, their catalog isn’t too deep with only 5 full-length projects under their belt, so it should be fun to see their growth from beginning to present.

Anyway, what was I talking about? Oh yeah, opening ... read more

larkwashere
66

Adrianne Lenker/Big Thief (2/9)

This is the second installment in my Big Thief and Adrianne Lenker review series, check out the first one (for “Hours Were The Birds”) if you can! Thanks!

Disappointment is a weird word to use when talking about a debut. It’s kind of a weird word to use in general with music, because theoretically if I was a perfect music reviewer I would have no expectations or premonitions about anything I listen to, so I would never feel like something ... read more

saintfuki
85

very enjoyable listen. with amazing instrumentation and gorgeous vocal inflections, this has HUGE potential to evolve into one of my favorite albums of all time. i'm not that big of a fan of DNWMIBIY and am surprised that this is rated lower, but hey. it's still a good album and i would highly recommend anyone listen

sillyometer
90

big thief is amazing

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Track List

1Little Arrow
1:58
75
2Masterpiece
3:50
92
3Vegas
2:19
87
4Real Love
4:17
90
5Interstate
3:24
85
6Lorraine
1:53
81
7Paul
3:03
91
8Humans
3:23
84
9Velvet Ring
2:35
84
10Animals
2:59
82
11Randy
3:09
81
12Parallels
4:23
87
Total Length: 37 minutes
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Added on: March 22, 2016