“Dragon New Warm Mountain I Believe in You” - Big Thief Album Review
Written by Aiden Nelson
Dragon New Warm Mountain I Believe in You is the fifth and most recent album by indie band Big Thief. The album, which spans 20 tracks and has an hour and twenty minute play time, was released February 11th of 2022 on 4AD.
Big Thief is composed of four members: Adrianne Lenker (guitar, vocals), Buck Meek (guitar, backing vocals), Max Oleartchik (bass), and James Krivchenia (drums). Each member attended the Berklee College of Music, in Boston, Massachusetts, but they formed Big Thief after each of them had graduated.
This is definitely the band’s most upbeat and folksy album to date. It has a warmth to it. I listened to it while stuck in frigid Ithaca, NY, yet it made me feel the way a steaming cup of tea does. The third track “Spud Infinity” is a perfect example of this warmth – it has a lolling bounce and cheerful orchestral instrumentation, making it feel like driving through the countryside in summer. It’s no surprise the album got released in winter, as overall it has the energy of that first warm day of spring – hopeful and soft, bright but understated. The lyrics match the earthly, springlike energy it has, full of motifs of growth and nature. I can see this album being a go-to for those early spring walks to get coffee, where the air is cold, but the sun is warm.
While still the band’s most cheerful sounding album to date, Dragon New Warm Mountain I Believe in You still maintains the core of what makes Big Thief sound like Big Thief. Adrianne Lenker, also known for her solo work – including fan-favorite album, simply entitled “songs” – provides beautiful vocals that overlay the indie instrumentals. Her voice is recognizable whether it be in her solo work or with Big Thief. She has a soft lilt to her vocals, a gentleness that perfectly matches the sounds of the music she makes. The album is almost chaotic, full of different sounds as the band explores genres and motifs, yet Lenker’s vocals seem to hold it all together.
The final track, “Blue Lightning” finishes with a spoken line, off-mic – “what should we do now?” The speaker of the question sounds satisfied, and yet almost dazed, and it cannot help but feel like a question for both the band and the audience. Yes, what will Big Thief produce next in their musical career? But also, what will YOU, the listener, do now that you have listened to their twenty song epic of an album?
Dragon New Warm Mountain I Believe in You, though intimidating in length, is worth a listen all the way through. My personal favorite tracks are “Little Things” and “Love Love Love”. If you’re a fan of Phoebe Bridgers, Bon Iver, or Taylor Swift’s Folklore, this album is for you.
