One Decade of 'Big Thief': Reflecting on the band's debut album

In literature and art, there is often a theme to be revealed, serving as the essential takeaway or deeper meaning. Themes of love, death, and sacrifice are prominent in literary storytelling. 

Music, as another form of art, may also possess certain themes throughout songs. These themes can be lyrical or melodic, and can work together to present the artist's or band’s intended theme or message. 

Modern music is no exception to carrying certain themes. Sometimes, the audience or listeners simply are not searching for the theme in music. 

As a personal experiment, I decided to listen to one of my favorite albums by one of my favorite bands, “Masterpiece” by Big Thief, with the intention of finding a common theme throughout. 

“Masterpiece” was the band's debut album, released in 2016. Big Thief consists of members Adrianne Lenker, Buck Meek and James Krivchenia. 

Big Thief has been a personal favorite for the past couple years. Adrianne Lenker's voice drew me in from the start. Lenker is known as the main lyricist of the band's work as well as her own solo career. Her ability to portray a range of sweet and whispery falsettos to harsh raspy growls demonstrates a type of storytelling in itself. 

For my listening experience, I chose to listen to “Masterpiece” on a vinyl record. Aside from a noticeably clearer listening experience than Spotify, most vinyl I have accumulated contains a lyric sheet, which I followed along with in hopes that a theme may be presented through words and storytelling. 

After executing this experiment, I have picked up on what can be several new themes I never truly grasped before. The album's theme seems to aim towards the multi faceted emotions of grief and loss.

The lyrics demonstrate several instances of experiencing grief through loss of lovers, family members, and childhood through growing up and aging. 

The second track on the album, as well as the album's title, “Masterpiece” describes the loss of a relative or loved one. The lyrics seem to relive memories with a loved one through lyrics that transport listeners into a scene, such as, “Ain’t no time, crossing your legs inside the diner. Raising coffee to your lips the steam.” 

The lyrics then jump to the reality of currently experiencing loss through “Laying there on the hospital bed. Eyes were narrow, blue and red.”

Lenker also shares the difficulty of letting this person go,  “There’s only so much letting go you can ask someone to do. So I keep you by my side, I will not give you to the tide.” 

“Parallels”, the 12th track on the album, also demonstrates the theme of losing a loved one due to aging or illness, this time from the point of view of the one who is ill or dying, “And I can’t say that I’ll miss my human form much.” 

There are many lyrics Lenker pulls from real life experience with her parents and the complicated environment she grew up in. 

The fourth track of the album, “Real Love”, mentions domestic violence and dysfunctional households, portrayed through lyrics like “Having your face hit. Having your lips split by the one who loves you” and “Oh mama, oh papa. How much blood is worth the draw?” 

Another facet of grief mentioned in the album is the grief of losing lovers due to the chaos and uncertainty of living a nomadic life.

“Animals”, the 10th track, is a perfect example of this theme of grief. The lyrics “She always knew. She’ll always know. That I loved her so well but I need to go” demonstrates this. 

The seventh track, “Paul”, also demonstrates the sorrow of knowing she cannot be with this lover forever. The lyric, “I couldn’t stay. I’ll only bring you pain" is also a nod to the grief of living a nomadic life, as Lenker experienced in her earlier years.

“Vegas”, the third track,  encompasses most of the themes of grief into one. The premise of the song centers around lovers meeting in Vegas for one week. This suggests also subthemes of living nomadic lives on the road, bringing grief in its own form of not being able to settle somewhere with somebody you love. 

The lyrics recall more feelings of grief of growing up in a dysfunctional family and dealing with abuse, “You knew your daddy until you were 13 and when he took his leave for the likes of the land in the far off salty ocean, we shook our bodies and you started to scream.” 

One of the most popular songs of the album is track 9, “Velvet Ring.” 

This song tells the story of Benny and Liza, two characters who seem to navigate an unplanned pregnancy through extreme poverty. This song is a brief intermission from the theme of grief, and rather a story of managing difficulties and sticking with the person you love through it all. 

“Randy”, the 11th track, portrays the experience of isolation and depression, while longing for connection. The lyric “I’m a wolf in a city of women” shows her perspective of feeling out of place due to these mental struggles, even mentioning, “Randy, they say I’ve gone insane.” 

Listening to this album with the intention of understanding a theme has deepened appreciation for music altogether. 

Understanding the lyrical implications, my admiration of this album has grown even more. I challenge other music lovers to try and find a certain theme of a song, album, or artist they admire and see how it shifts your perspective of the art.