![]() ![]() While Art Thief’s whimsy and sound still appealed to me more, Strawberry Girls was an excellent addition to the line up. The best moments of the band’s set was when singular members were focused on for a solo, allowing the complicated time signatures of their math rock style to shine. The band’s set was nearly entirely instrumental, showcasing each member’s multi-instrumental talents and dexterity. Art Thief closed out their set with a cover of “Closer” by Nine Inch Nails, my personal highlight of the night.Īfter a short tech setup, Strawberry Girls took the stage – without traditional vocal microphones. The songs shifted from more serious tracks to the comedic and indulgent lyrics of “Weed is Tight” such as “I just want to smoke weed with my friends after school/ And be high, and be cool, just like the cool kids do.” It was a healthy reminder that not every song has to be serious, but can rock just as hard. The most standout element was Sam Smith and Am Berretta’s synchronized vocals that are vaguely reminiscent of early Girlpool.Īrt Thief’s set included songs like “Alley Cats” and “Weed is Tight” from their 2021 album “Tough Crowd,” though that night’s crowd seemed to be putty in their hands. While music services categorize the band as alternative/indie, they have a heavier sound with elements of prog, funk and ska. However, Art Thief surprised me immediately. My initial hesitations came when entering the 21+ venue and seeing a crowd full of bearded hipster men – nothing against the type, we just tend to have different tastes in music. The progressive rock band was well admired by fans, however the openers out shadowed their performance. ![]() Placed right next to each other and revealing unseen depths of the band, this trio of tracks transform this album-frankly, they have burrowed themselves into my brain, and are some of my favorite Big Thief songs in their catalog.Thank You Scientist and supporting acts Art Thief and Strawberry Girls came to Portland’s Mississippi Studios on June 14. Inspired by indie pop, goth, New Wave, and even Portishead-esque trip-hop, these are tracks that explode the limits of Big Thief. ![]() But it is the biggest genre diversions that go over best: “Heavy Bend,” “Flower of Blood,” and “Blurred View,” are perhaps the most fascinating and hard-hitting songs on the album. “Wake Me Up to Drive” introduces patient drum machines to the mix, while “Little Things” is an echo-drenched barn-burner with a twitchy rhythm section that plays like “UFOF’s” “Cattails’” in the big city. Bassist Jason Burger shines on “Sparrow,” an enveloping folk song that spreads out like a bruise over its runtime, while Buck Meek’s plaintive, whining guitar lines lend depth to songs like "Change" and the title track. “Red Moon” is followed by “Dried Roses”-the best Townes Van Zandt song that Townes Van Zandt never wrote. I won’t spoil the breakdown halfway through, but if it doesn’t make you smile you should check your pulse. “Red Moon,” another country number placed at the album’s center, is its second joyous high point. Since their debut album “Masterpiece” back in 2016 Big Thief always has wrestled with capital-i Ideas, but on their latest album their approach to conveying them could not be more expansive yet simple: they write songs, and sing them. This imbues the album with an immediacy and beautifully un-enunciated tension. This effect is largely due to this album’s unique recording style: in stark contrast to their last albums, they recorded it in pieces, in four sessions in four locations across the United States, with drummer James Krivchenia consistently producing the tracks. This is Big Thief enjoying writing, and writing around what speaks to them at that moment. Don’t expect too much from the Big Thief of old, with whisper-quiet indie folk or dusty rock balladry-here, New Wave, world music, pop, country, and bluegrass influences intermingle with folk music in wild, unpredictable ways. These sister albums cut to the core of Big Thief, and “Dragon.” is an enormous follow-up that mines those same emotional depths with unimaginably great new instrumental ideas. Songs became less conceptual, more down-to-earth. On two exceptional albums in 2019-“UFOF” and “Two Hands”-Big Thief’s songwriting opened itself up.
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