BIG THIEF – ” Dandelion “

Posted: December 17, 2016 in MUSIC
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2016 was quite the year for Big Thief. Their debut album, “Masterpiece” (now available on cassette for the first time), was released to universal acclaim , NPR listeners voted them the No1 bandof 2016, The Guardian named them one of the 50 most exciting independent artists in the world, they performed on NPR’s World Cafe and the Tiny Desk Concert, played Central Park’s Summerstage, toured the world,  Those are just Some of their highlights.

New 7″ Containing Solo Versions Of ‘MASTERPIECE’ And New Track ‘DANDELION’ 

First pressing limited to 500 copies, Big Thief are proud to unveil a 7″ containing solo acoustic performances from frontwoman Adrianne Lenker, here recorded by Luke Temple of Here We Go Magic, all adorned with a cover painting by Temple.

Put to tape one wintry day in early 2016, the recordings find Temple capturing Lenker in a searching, intimate performance. They offer a first public hearing for ‘Dandelion’, a beguiling new song from Lenker’s visionary pen; while the version of ‘Masterpiece contained here casts a new light on the title track of their acclaimed debut LP.

Explaining how the recordings came about, Lenker says: “On tour with Here We Go Magic, our van, Bonnie, broke down in the Rocky Mountains. We really didn’t want to miss any shows. Fortunately, Here We Go kindly offered me the empty seat in their truck, and I went ahead to play two solo shows while the rest of the band fixed Bonnie.

“After Luke saw the show, he had an idea to capture the simple raw form of the songs played solo. Several months later, I went out to Hudson, NY, and we filled eight cassette tapes, with one song played through a few times per 15-minute tape. It was a really relaxing way of recording. I thought we might just stuff the tapes in a shoebox in a closet and find them years later. It’s nice to record without the intention of releasing the thing you’re making.”

There are more big things in store for Big Thief in 2017. For starters, they’re hitting the road with fellow Saddle Creek artist Sam Evian in January and then touring throughout the spring. Here’s where you can catch them…

Fri-Feb-03, Bristol, UK, Louisiana
Sat-Feb-04, Sheffield, UK, Leadmill
Sun-Feb-05, Edinburgh, UK, Mash House
Tue-Feb-07, Manchester, UK, Soup Kitchen
Wed-Feb-08, Nottingham, UK, Bodega
Thu-Feb-09, London, UK, Lexington
Fri-Feb-10, Brighton, UK, The Hope

“Among the group’s many recently converted fans is Jeff Tweedy, of Wilco fame, who tweeted: ‘Great guitars, great lyrics, great melodies…. What more could you possibly want?’ It’s just that simple.”

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