Big Thief’s quiet intensity underlies their pretty folk-rock. Their latest output Dragon New Warm Mountain I Believe In You embraces this wholeheartedly. It sees the band stretching and playing with their music whilst maintaining the careful precision which marks them a cut above the rest.
Opener ‘Change’ sets a steady pace while its simple chords ease us into what is to come. Its lyrics mix natural imagery with more familiar patterns of social flux. Contrasting moments of natural beauty with heart-wrenching lyrics like “Could I feel happy for you // When I hear you talk with her like we used to? // Could I set everything free // When I watch you holding her the way you once held me?” ‘Change’ is a tear-stained reminder to yourself that everything happens for a reason.
Throughout Dragon New Warm Mountain I Believe in You, Big Thief feel like they are searching for these reasons, examining the intricacies and patterns of nature as much as they do the patterns of humans. The album is huge, spanning twenty songs spun in varying shades of folk-rock and indie. Singer Adrienne Lenker’s straight-talking but tender voice binds the record together, along with the natural imagery that’s threaded through her lyrics. It feels like Lenker understands and interprets her life through the lens of nature, landscapes and other organisms.
‘Promise Is a Pendulum’ focuses on intricate details, but returns to the mantra that makes up its title, almost whispered in its focus. It has a beautiful and subdued vocal line that rises and rises like Leonard Cohen’s ‘Suzanne’, only transposed into the first person. The track that follows it, ‘1200 lines’ strikes a tone equally as soft, and equally as longing, but without the worry or fear of overexposure that its predecessor carries. The light touch of bass and the harmonies on the chorus makes it a less lonely experience, despite the lyrics of longing and searching for a lover. Here, too, Lenker weaves in naturalistic images like “blue mountains in the rearview” as she waits and searches for her beloved.
Dragon New Warm Mountain I Believe In You plays with the presentation of their music too; ‘Certainty’’s layered focus and folk-song form suggest a layer of separation between Lenker and her intimate lyrics. Meanwhile, ‘Wake Me up to Drive’ skips along above a tinny drum machine click, giving the feel of an organic setting like a spontaneous gig or a jam session with friends. ‘Time Escaping’ goes in the opposite direction, beginning with layers upon layers of muted kitchen-sink-style percussion, which Lenker’s quiet but commanding voice sorts into a rhythm that, by the time we reach the chorus, sounds almost poppy in its gentle tos and fros. Big Thief are experts at making small tweaks that change the impact or mood of a song, and this album sees them play with just how far this can go.
Dragon New Warm Mountain I Believe in You is a quiet triumph, albeit louder than other Big Thief material. The band stretch out and explore their sound across the expansive songs, always shifting something around and always keeping us on our toes. Big Thief certainly haven’t wasted the chance lockdown gave to experiment with their music and instead of turning inwards, Dragon New Warm Mountain I Believe In You gazes outward to nature.
Words by Martha Storey
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