Big Thief - Dragon New Warm Mountain I Believe in You
Folk/Indie Rock – Released February 11, 2022 – 20 songs, 80 mins
REID
This one’s been on the radar for a while. Adrianne Lenker, Buck Meek, Max Oleartchik and James Krivchenia make up American indie rock band, Big Thief. Their previous work is quality material and highly recommended. Songs from Dragon New Warm Mountain I Believe In You began appearing on streaming services in 2021 and anticipation grew. The album name and duration were revealed late in the year and concerns grew of a watered-down effort. Finally, we can find out.
Change, like the wind.
Like the Water, like skin.
Change, like the sky.
Like the leaves, like a butterfly.
On Episode 004 of the TSR podcast, we discussed album openers. Well… this one is up there with the best of them. Change is one of the most beautifully written and executed songs I’ve heard in a long time. One of the only constants in life, it’s a unique subject. Plenty of artists have shared their renditions with my personal favourites being Change by Blind Melon, The Times They Are-a-Changin by Bob Dylan and Changes by 2 Pac. Adrianne’s version of soul crushing heartbreak might just be the best.
With goosebumps, we move along to Time Escaping and Spud Infinity and it is abundantly clear Big Thief isn’t married to a particular style with experimental rock on the former and going folk-sy on the latter. Combined with those of Adrianne singing over gradually developed guitar picking, the band is really scratching all their creative itches on Dragon. Of the styles listed, they have simply raised the bar on the last. Her voice is truly beautiful and they’ve perfected the genre. Careful instrument additions of the violin, flute and others add layers that make me swoon. Certainty, Dragon, Dried Roses, No Reason, Promise is a Pendulum, 12,000 Lines, Simulation Swarm and The Only Place all fall into this category.
Any Neil Young followers? The influence is so obvious. I picture him sitting at home gleefully listening to Dragon, at the same time pissed off at Alberta and Spotify. In a short TSR crew conversation yesterday, we discussed the impacts of older music on what we hear today. This is a perfect example.
Let’s discuss the length. When previewing this album, the crew discussed our concerns. I’m confident in saying an overwhelming majority of music lovers think a shorter, quality album is usually the best route. I’m one of them. The evidence is there. Hell, it’s very likely the boys make the argument in their reviews. The key words above however, are majority and usually. Tell high school me it was a bad idea for Red Hot Chili Peppers to release Stadium Arcadium as a double album. I was too busy trying to decide whether Mars or Jupiter was my favourite. I think it’s as simple as Adrianne and co hitting their stride creatively during COVID-19 lockdowns. They were left with an amazing catalog of songs and had a decision to make. In 2019, they released UFOF and Two Hands. In 2022, they went the other way. The length was very irritating initially but it became a luxury as I peeled back the layers of magic.
On an album this long, it’s challenging to appreciate everything it has to offer in a short period. Generosity on its construction will grow over time. Adrianne’s songwriting is exquisite, her voice is special and you can only marvel at the band’s ability to experiment and excel at multiple styles. Big Thief is Big-Time. On Dragon, they juggle quality versus quantity and deliver on both.
Overall Rating – 9.3/10
Favourite Song - Change
LUNDI
How about that album title? Coming off releasing not one but two of the best albums of 2020, indie rock trail blazers Big Thief return with an expansion fifth studio album Dragon New Warm Mountain I Believe In You.
Honestly, there was a desire to absolutely rip this album to shreds on first listen. It irritated to the point of having to turn it off on the first few attempts. This album is not accessible for the casual music listener and I don’t expect it to win BT many new fans.
With that being said, the redeeming qualities that are there eventually come to light and the experimentation certainly grows on you. At the top of the list is lead vocalist Adrianne Lenker. Her song writing is next level as she continues to cement her place among the best of this generation. She pens some incredible lines on the album that captivate the listener. Change is a simply beautiful album opener, Simulation Swarm is one of the greatest songs of the past 10 years, and the three song run of Little Things, Heavy Bend, and Flower of Blood is music magic.
Still despite the good, the album is much too long and the back half is comprised of a lot of questionable folk devoted songs. The ambition is respected but in an industry that requires you to demand the attention of the listener and keep it in order to succeed this album just falls flat. BT should have stuck to their 2020 success method and released two different albums or just cut 8-10 songs completely. Some of the tracks here are just unnecessary and while you can’t deny the raw musical talent of the band, the output as a complete album comes up short.
Dragon is unfortunately more bad than good, but the good is absolutely brilliant. Big Thief had the material to make one of the best albums of the decade but unfortunately included all their B-sides.
Overall Rating: 6.2/10
Favourite Song: Simulation Swarm
ROZ
Have you ever gone on a really long car ride, where there’s a lot of interesting sights along the way - beautiful countryside, sparkling ocean, hell maybe you even see a wild animal or two - but it just goes on for way too long? Oh, there’s construction at this section, why are they doing this on the goddamn weekend. Now you’re stopping at a dilapidated gas station that doesn’t let you pay at the pump. Now the sun's starting to set, and you’re really starting to squirm in your seat.
That’s Dragon New Warm Mountain I Believe in You (which going forward I will be calling Dragon New Warm for brevity's sake). Now, with its charming backwoods folk-style charm, that’s not to say that there isn’t a lot of good on this album as well - there’s just a lot of...unnecessary road. For all the scenic splendor you find in songs such as Change, Heavy Bend, Blurred View, No Reason, Wake Me Up To Drive, Promise Is A Pendulum or The Only Place, there’s a contrasting filler track that is giving equal space and importance on the record, and that just doesn’t sit right with me at all.
With it’s melody of fiddles, harmonicas, pianos, tambourines, flutes, and way too many types of guitar to specify, Dragon New Warm is a marvelous display of raw musical talent but sadly falls into the trap of being much too overzealous - less is more, but also more is less. It’s warm, it’s pleasant, and Lenker’s voice is an absolute treat. It’s also exhausting and it most definitely should have been cut into two separate albums. At the end of the day it feels like one long, winding jam session between friends; to be honest there’s an inherently beautiful energy that comes along with that. Either way, be sure to stay tuned for the second episode of ‘Roz Cuts’, as I may do to this what I did to Ye’s 108 minute-long Donda.
Overall Rating: 6.0/10
Favourite Song: Wake Me Up To Drive