Big Thief are an indie rock band with prominent folk and Americana influences. They’ve been prolific in their short career, with U.F.O.F. their third album in three years.
Big Thief are influenced by vintage folk-rock acts like The Band, Neil Young, Joni Mitchell, and Fleetwood Mac; U.F.O.F. captures The Band’s aura of old time Americana and taps into the mystic folk aura of Van Morrison’s early solo records.
Big Thief are based in Brooklyn, although their backwoods sound is perhaps explained by songwriter Adrianne Lenker’s unusual experiences growing up; her family lived in a van after leaving a religious cult. Lenker is joined by Buck Meek on guitar and backup vocals, Max Oleartchik on bass, and James Krivchenia on drums.
Lenker’s haunting, near-whispering voice is reminiscent of Marianne Faithfull, and it carries gravitas. She’s often a detached observer, like this couplet from standout track ‘Cattails’.
Violet’s eyes, Violet plays
Going back home to the Great Lakes
Where the cattail sways
With the lonesome loon
Riding that train in late June
‘Cattails’ is performed by only half the band – Lenker accompanies herself adeptly on 12-string guitar, with only Krivchenia’s splashy drums for backup.
Opener ‘Contact’ ratchets up from the band’s usual introspective Indie folk into an intense coda of guitar riffing and screaming. More often the band sticks to introspective, mystic folk – the final F. in UFOF stands for friend.
It’s not the most immediate album, but U.F.O.F. is stunning, a record of almost limitless depth and character.
Big Thief have a fourth album due in October 2019 – Two Hands is described as the “celestial twin” to U.F.O.F..
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Thanks, those two songs were a great way to unwind after a hectic two days away. I can’t help feeling I heard this somewhere before.
It’s been out for a few months and other bloggers have already covered it. I’m a bit late on it.
They would not have been out of place in the late sixties early seventies.
I think I liked Big Thief’s last record better. This one felt a bit lacklustre to me.
I’d choose the word mellow rather than lacklustre. I haven’t spent much time with the others, but it does seem more subdued and stylistically marrow than their previous work?
That 12-string sounds great on cattails!
Yes, it’s a very good song – sounds like an old folk melody.
Very much a new convert to Big Thief – loved UFOF and picked up Capacity shortly after. This one reveals so much with every listen, it’s really hypnotic.
PLUS they just announced another new album for this year too! Bonus 🙂
Yeah there’s a single for the new one floating around – it’s more electric guitar / rock than UFOF.
I’ll give it ago on your recommendation. Do the other members do any vocals?
She’s the songwriter and sings all the lead vocals as far as I can remember. This record’s more mellow than their others – the single for the new one has much more electric guitar.
I might try that one.
[…] band Big Thief started recording Two Hands five days after completing U.F.O.F. (released in May 2019). U.F.O.F. was recorded in a cabin in Washington state, and has a mystical […]
“It’s not the most immediate album” is probably the best way to describe how I felt about it, but I need to spend more time with it. And I will. Then I’m gonna hit up the new one.
It’s like Julia Holter’s record from last year – I’m pretty convinced there’s a masterpiece in there, but it takes a lot of listens to sink in.
Ah! Aviary? Reminds me that I still haven’t really listened to that. I think it had quite the runtime…
I gave it a lot of time earlier this year and still don’t really have my head around it, but I’m pretty convinced there’s a very good record there.
Sometimes a very good record isn’t one to be enjoyed so much as admired?
I think of it in terms of economics – it’s like a utility curve (utility is the amount of enjoyment you derive each listen). Takes a few listens to get much utility from some albums, but you get more sustained utility in the long run.