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"Masterpiece" is the debut full-length release for the Brooklyn folk-influenced rock band Big Thief, released May 27, 2016 through Saddle Creek Records.
At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from critics, the album received an average score of 79, based on 14 reviews, indicating "generally favorable reviews".
User Album Review
The album excels at switching from robust rock to moving ballads and back. By the time the 11th song “Randy” rolls around, however, we’ve already heard some form of it. There’s a formula at work and, up till now, it’s been under the radar, yet the variation begins to dwindle at this point. As a penultimate song, exasperation shouldn’t be the first word that comes to mind.
The finale “Parallel” swells and swells, but goes out on a hush rather than a bang. One can argue this choice is more fitting as an end, since it goes with the nature of coping and shaking off the numbness involved. “I see all the parallels” Lenker croons as both mantra and epiphany, her voice echoing and distorting as the full band gets sucked into the void right along with their leader.
Big Thief ultimately nail the different shades of reckoning and self-introspection on their Saddle Creek debut. Many listeners will no doubt identify with and see pieces of their own struggles inside this album. Despite some slight drag towards the end, Masterpiece speaks true to its moniker.
Reviewed By Cory Healy for pastemagazine.com
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