This is definitely getting BNM on Friday (or whenever they post the review), which including Big Thief will be her fifth Best New Music in a row.
I'm totally ready for this album Ngl though I did lol at the end of that live performance of "Ruined," Adrianne was really bending out those strings haha
I think with Big Thief there's always a chance of an album coming soon. Lol. To be realistic, though, I wouldn't expect anything this year since Adrianne's album is getting a lot of attention and I think Buck is doing a lot of solo touring.
I would anticipate those tracks just being non album singles if I had to guess. Probably wouldn’t anticipate a new BT album until 2025 but that’s just my guess.
those two songs were a one-off, recorded during a super short session mid-tour. i think she gives James a lot of credit for transforming the solo version in the band version (removing the fish/gills, changing the beat) no album this year unless they release the remainder of the dragon sessions. last i heard is that they might record this year. they have claimed it'll be heavier music but we'll see
8.4 BNM Great write up too Adrianne Lenker: Bright Future Killer paragraph: “Beneath the surface, these effects suggest a more complex relationship between the recording and the music, drawing attention to the artifice and happenstance of what we’re hearing. By demonstrating so explicitly that this is how the music sounded in this room, on this day, they’re also implying that it might have sounded quite different in another place, another time. The musicians play wispy outlines of folk rock, giving just as much attention to the negative spaces as the notes you actually hear. The aesthetic suits the material. Lenker’s songs find beauty in the attempt to give memory solid shape: to hold it in one’s palms like a wounded bird that sat still when the others flew away, and coax it with a sweet melody into sticking around a while longer. Bright Future is like an attempt to hold the memories of the songs themselves, to stop their wild wings from beating for a moment and get a good look before they vanish in the air.”
The original Vampire Empire released last year was absolutely perfect - a Big Thief all timer for me - but this version is also great.
The pitchfork review is right, if you explained “Evol” to me I would say that shouldn’t work and it works so well, it’s honestly a huge flex. If someone gave me that writing prompt I’d write the worst song imaginable.