Album of the Week – 11/02/22

Does it ruin the fun a little when we have a glowing review of a new album a few days before the ‘Album of the Week’ slot? Could we have given it to another album after a review like this:

“Big Thief has created an album full of whimsical charm, song-writing magic and pitch-perfect arrangements” – From Cathy Brown’s Review here.

There are lots of other fine releases this week, including a new album by Eddie Vedder (Earthling), his first solo album in over a decade. There are also new releases from alt-J (The Dream), Adam Miller of the Chromatics (Gateway), Baxter Dury (Mr. Maserati – Best Of Baxter Dury 2001 – 2021) and Carrie Biell (of Moon Palace called We Get Along) all of which are featured below but it was hard to resist the pull of Adrianne Lenker and her crew…

Album of the Week – Big Thief – Dragon New Warm Mountain I Believe in You

Dragon New Warm Mountain I Believe in You is a sprawling double-LP exploring the deepest elements and possibilities of Big Thief. To truly dig into all that the music of Adrianne Lenker, Max Oleartchik, Buck Meek, and James Krivchenia desired in 2020, the band decided to write and record a rambling account of growth as individuals, musicians, and chosen family over 4 distinct recording sessions. In Upstate New York, Topanga Canyon, The Rocky Mountains, and Tucson, Arizona, Big Thief spent 5 months in creation and came out with 45 completed songs. The most resonant of this material was edited down into the 20 tracks that make up DNWMIBIY, a fluid and adventurous listen. The album was produced by drummer James Krivchenia who initially pitched the recording concept for DNWMIBIY back in late 2019 with the goal of encapsulating the many different aspects of Adrianne’s songwriting and the band onto a single record.

In an attempt to ease back into life as Big Thief after a long stretch of Covid-19 related isolation, the band met up for their first session in the woods of upstate New York. They started the process at Sam Evian’s Flying Cloud Recordings, recording on an 8-track tape machine with Evian at the knobs. It took a while for the band to realign and for the first week of working in the studio, nothing felt right. After a few un-inspired takes the band decided to take an ice-cold dip in the creek behind the house before running back to record in wet swimsuits. That cool water blessing stayed with Big Thief through the rest of the summer and many more intuitive, recording rituals followed. It was here that the band procured ‘Certainty’ and ‘Sparrow’.

Albums of Note:

— alt-J – The Dream

— Adam Miller (Chromatics) – Gateway

— Baxter Dury – Mr. Maserati – Best Of Baxter Dury 2001 – 2021

— Eddie Vedder – Earthling

— Carrie Biell (of Moon Palace) – We Get Along

Albums Released February 11th:

— Adam Miller (Chromatics) – Gateway

— Adria Kain – When Flowers Bloom

— Aiyana-Lee – Wednesday’s Child (Side A)

— Alan Parsons – One Note Symphony: Live In Tel Aviv

— Allison Moorer – Wish For You EP

— alt-J – The Dream

— ALTO ARC (Danny L Harle, Trayer Tryon of Hundred Waters, and George Clarke of Deafheaven) – ALTO ARC EP

— Amorphis – Halo

— Amos Lee – Dreamland

— Anika – Change: The Remixes

— Author & Punisher – Krüller

— Backslider – Psychic Rot

— Beau – Forever EP

— Beneath the Silence – Black Lights

— Big Thief – Dragon New Warm Mountain I Believe in You

— Blonder – Knoxville House

— Boulevards – Electric Cowboy: Born in Carolina Mud

— Buke and Gase and Rahrah Gabor – Buke and Gase + Rahrah Gabor EP

— The Cactus Blossoms – One Day

— Cameron Forbes – godCHILD EP

— Carrie Biell (of Moon Palace) – We Get Along

— Cautious Clay – Deadpan Love (Deluxe Edition)

— Caveat – Alchemy

— Cousin Stizz – Just For You

— Crystal Murray – Twisted Bases EP

— Cult of Luna – The Long Road North

— Curtis Godino Presents The Midnight Wishers – Curtis Godino Presents The Midnight Wishers

— Dan Andriano & The Bygones (Dan Andriano of Alkaline Trio) – Dear Darkness

— David Heatley – Life Our Own Way

— Dead Tree Seeds – Back to the Seeds EP

— The Delines – The Sea Drift

— Delvon Lamarr Organ Trio – Cold As Weiss

— The Devils Of Loudon – Escaping Eternity

— Division:Dark – Prophecy

— Donna Missal – in the mirror, in the night EP

— Dream Fiend – Outland

— Drongo – 2

— Dropper – Don’t Talk to Me

— Duran Duran – FUTURE PAST (Deluxe Edition)

— Eddie Vedder – Earthling

— Emilie Zoé – Hello Future Me

— EMPATH – Visitor

— Escape From The Zoo – Countin’ Cards

— Ethan Iverson – Every Note Is True

— Foreign Air – Why Don’t You Feel The Way I Do? EP

— Foxes – The Kick

— Frank Turner – FTHC

— Future Kult – Future Kult

— Girish and the Chronicles – Hail To The Heroes

— Gunwood – Dream Boat Jane

— HEXEN – Being and Nothingness (Reissue)

— Holo – In Limbo EP

— Home Counties – In A Middle English Town EP

— Hot Flash Heat Wave – Sportswear

— Jane Bruce – My Bed

— Jason Mraz – Lalalalovesongs

— Jazmine Sullivan – Heaux Tales, Mo’ Tales: The Deluxe

— Jesse Correll – Inner Shibori

— JESTR – The Dead & Riches

— Joe Goodkin – The Blues of Achilles

— Jon Hopkins – Music For Psychedelic Therapy (Vinyl Release)

— Joywave – Cleanse

— Julianna Joy – Garden of Eden EP

— Jura – Formality Jerne-Site

— Kenny Muney – Time is Muney

— Kill Alters – Armed To The Teeth L.M.O.M.M.

— Kollmorgen – All The Wild Animals

— Krooked Tongue – No Vacancy Hotel EP

— La Armada – Anti-Colonial Vol. 2

— Lady Pills – What I Want

— LANNDS – lotus deluxe

— Laundry Day – We Switched Bodies

— Lifesick – Misanthropy

— Lofi Legs – Leg Day

— Lotte Kestner – Lost Songs

— Lynda Randle – Pilgrim Journey

— Mariangela Demurtas – Dark Ability EP

— Mary J. Blige – Good Morning Gorgeous

— Massive Ego – The New Normal EP

— Matt North – Bullies In The Backyard

— Mesentry – Soulfucker

— Mild Orange – Looking For Space

— Molly Moore – Escapism EP

— The Mommyheads – Swiss Army Knife

— Moonchild – Starfruit

— Napalm Death – Resentment is Always Seismic – a Final Throw of Throes

— Near Death Condition – Ascent from the Mundane

— Night Palace – Diving Rings

— Night Shop – Forever Night

— Nina Simone – Feeling Good: Her Greatest Hits & Remixes

— No Monster Club – deadbeat effervescent

— Nova Miller – sting EP

— Ombiigizi – Sewn Back Together

— Once Human – Scar Weaver

— Quickstrike – None of a Kind

— Racerage – Black Medusa

— Raveena – Asha’s Awakening

— Rick Braun – Rick Braun

— Rob Burger – Marching with Feathers

— sadeyes – monarch

— Sataray – Blood Trine Moon EP

— Sea Change – Mutual Dreaming

— Sea Power – Everything Was Forever

— Shamir – Heterosexuality

— Shield Of Wings – Unfinished

— Slash Ft. Myles Kennedy and the Conspirators – 4

— Sofiane Pamart – Letter

— Son of Seth – De Dor a Odio

— Sons Of A Tradesman – Stir The Pot

— Spoon – Lucifer on the Sofa

— Sports – Get A Good Luck

— Static-X – Machine (20th Anniversary Edition)

— Studio Electrophonique – Happier Things EP

— Tegan and Sara – Still Jealous

— Telefís (Cathal Coughlan and Jacknife Lee) – a hAon

— Theandric – Flight Among The Tombs

— Thom Southern – Plaza

— Tiberius – Clumps in the Grass

— Tomato Flower – Gold Arc EP

— Trentemøller – Memoria

— Trouble – One for the Road / Unplugged (Reissue)

— Trupa Trupa – B Flat A

— Tuelo – The Life of Margaret Cornelius

— Voivod – Synchro Anarchy

— Vundabar – Devil For The Fire

— WAIT (We Are In Transit) – The End of Noise

— Weatherstate – Never Better

— The Wildfires Projekt – Lost & Searching EP

— William Ryan Key (of Yellowcard) – Everything Except Desire EP

— Yusuf Islam / Cat Stevens – Harold and Maude Soundtrack (50th Anniversary Edition)

— Zander Schloss (of Circle Jerks) – Song About Songs

— Zeal & Ardor – Zeal & Ardor