Since most albums are not even an hour these days, it's easy to look at the relatively long 81 minutes of Dragon New Warm Mountain I Believe In You, and ask, "why?". Big Thief answers that question with their best and most diverse collection of songs. There is no clear connecting thread among these songs. The album plays like a suspiciously incredible jukebox full of folk, americana, and country-tinged music. The twang of "Spud Infinity," wherein Andrianne Lenker sings as if she always operates in country-adjacent music, shows an endearingly playful side of the band. The country of Dragon New Warm Mountain I Believe In You reaches its apex in the sweeping melodies and fiddling of "Red Moon," a very vibrant song with a notable moment of unbridled joy ("That's my grandma!").
Intimate, solo-Lenker numbers like "Promise is A Pendulum" and "The Only Place" have fantastic lyrics and intricate acoustic guitar work. The former has Lenker contemplating her limitations and the beauty of nature while reflecting on a former relationship. It's one of her most tender performances - the way her voice slowly trails off towards the end of the second verse is too delicate for words. Lenker's fragile beauty and poetic nature shine in "The Only Place," where she covers the elusive gaps between words and raw emotion with some of her best writing yet ("What if all the time between /The words we say and what we mean /Would roll as softly as a stream / That we could ride? / We'd ride the bend from source to mouth / I want a friend from north to south/ To build that question as a house / Where we'd reside").
Lenker's vocal approach can be guttural, buoyant, and everything in-between. The aforementioned solo numbers show a softer side, but she is just as powerful in the raw tone she employs on the rocking "Love Love Love." The dark and hypnotic "Blurred View" is a rewarding surprise on the other side of the spectrum. "Blurred View" is unlike anything Big Thief has done before - it's closer to the sound of a trip-hop band like Portishead than Big Thief's usual folk approach. The short and addictive "Heavy Bend" is another hard left turn. The song's combination of harp-toned loops, drums, and twisting melodies could easily be sampled by hip-hop producers. "Time Escaping" is closer to typical Big Thief fare, but the guitars are warped into a percussive clanging that gives Lenker's musings an otherworldly quality.
Dragon New Warm Mountain I Believe In You is consistently astounding. It does not matter whether Big Thief is embracing psychedelia ("Little Things") or going through more familiar folk territory ("Change"), the band always sounds great. The high quality of the album makes its 81 minutes a breeze. Dragon New Warm Mountain I Believe In You is the strongest entry in a formidable discography - anyone with an interest in folk music needs to give this a listen.
Lenker's vocal approach can be guttural, buoyant, and everything in-between. The aforementioned solo numbers show a softer side, but she is just as powerful in the raw tone she employs on the rocking "Love Love Love." The dark and hypnotic "Blurred View" is a rewarding surprise on the other side of the spectrum. "Blurred View" is unlike anything Big Thief has done before - it's closer to the sound of a trip-hop band like Portishead than Big Thief's usual folk approach. The short and addictive "Heavy Bend" is another hard left turn. The song's combination of harp-toned loops, drums, and twisting melodies could easily be sampled by hip-hop producers. "Time Escaping" is closer to typical Big Thief fare, but the guitars are warped into a percussive clanging that gives Lenker's musings an otherworldly quality.
Dragon New Warm Mountain I Believe In You is consistently astounding. It does not matter whether Big Thief is embracing psychedelia ("Little Things") or going through more familiar folk territory ("Change"), the band always sounds great. The high quality of the album makes its 81 minutes a breeze. Dragon New Warm Mountain I Believe In You is the strongest entry in a formidable discography - anyone with an interest in folk music needs to give this a listen.
