Masterpiece (Big Thief album) explained

Masterpiece
Type:	studio
Artist:	Big Thief
Cover:	Big Thief Masterpiece.jpg
Border:	yes
Recorded:	July 1–July 12, 2015
Label:	Saddle Creek
Producer:	Andrew Sarlo
Next Title:	Capacity
Next Year:	2017

Masterpiece is the debut studio album by the American band Big Thief, released through Saddle Creek Records on May 27, 2016.^[1]

Recording

Masterpiece was recorded from July 1–July 12, 2015, on Lake Champlain in Essex, New York.^[2]

Cover artwork

The album's cover features a photograph of Lenker's mother as a child, playing with a toy dinosaur.^[3]

Critical reception

Masterpiece received positive reviews upon its release. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from music critics, the album has received an average score of 79, indicating "generally favorable reviews", based on 14 reviews.

Personnel

Credits adapted from the album's liner notes.^[4]

• Adrianne Lenker – guitar, vocals
• Buck Meek – lead guitar, vocals
• Max Oleartchik – bass
• Jason Burger – drums
• Andrew Sarlo – production, mixing, inner panel photos
• James Krivchenia – engineering, additional production
• Sarah Register – mastering
• Jadon Ulrich – album design
• Matteo Spaccarelli – "I like a truck"

Notes and References

1. Web site: Masterpiece. Saddle Creek Records. February 6, 2018.
2. Web site: Corrigan . Lizz . May 26, 2016 . Review: Big Thief - Masterpiece . December 1, 2021 . SLUG Magazine.
3. Web site: The Big Themes and Big Dreams of Big Thief. Zoladz. Lindsay. April 30, 2019. The Ringer (website). November 19, 2022.
4. Masterpiece . . . 2016 . liner notes . LBJ-233.