Two Hands is the fourth studio album by the American band Big Thief, released through 4AD on October 11, 2019. The album comes five months after the release of the band's third studio album, U.F.O.F., and is described as its "earth twin".[13] It was preceded by the singles "Not" and "Forgotten Eyes".
Recording for Two Hands began only days after the band completed recording their third studio album, U.F.O.F., at Bear Creek Studio in Woodinville, Washington.[14]Two Hands was recorded primarily at Sonic Ranch in Tornillo, Texas in July 2018.[15] It was produced by Andrew Sarlo,[16] who had since produced every album by Big Thief.[17] Compared to the lush nature setting of Bear Creek,[18] Sonic Ranch is located in the dry, hot Chihuahuan Desert of Texas. The album's press release indicated the studio was chosen purposely for its "vast desert location", with the songs reflecting its influence. The songs were recorded live with almost no overdubs and all but two songs feature entirely live vocal takes.[19] The album was mixed by Sarlo and drummer James Krivchenia at Bunker Studios in Brooklyn, New York in October 2018; and at Sarlo's Cabin and Sound City in Los Angeles in April 2019.[15]
The band decided to scrap the Sonic Ranch recording of "Not" because they "felt it needed openness."[20] "Not" was re-recorded at Sound City Studios in April 2019.[15] It was captured live on the first take.[20]
"Replaced", co-written by Adrianne Lenker and Buck Meek, appears on the album in its original demo recording.[20] The demo was recorded in a cabin in Topanga Canyon in February 2019.[15]
Music and lyrics
In the album's press release, Adrianne Lenker said, "Two Hands has the songs that I'm the most proud of; I can imagine myself singing them when I'm old. Musically and lyrically, you can't break it down much further than this. It's already bare-bones."[19]
Composition
Two Hands sees Big Thief take on "powerful and gritty" grunge-folk.[5] It also works in indie rock, yielding a "crisper [and] more jagged" sound than that of U.F.O.F.[3]
In early August, some fans who had purchased U.F.O.F. on vinyl from the 4AD website received an unmarked 7" record in the mail. It contained two songs that were later revealed to be the title track "Two Hands" and "Love In Mine", a track appearing on the Japanese version of the album. The 7" had "10/11/19" etched into it, alluding to the release date.
The album was announced on August 13, 2019, alongside the release of its first single, "Not".[22] Upon release, the song was awarded the "Best New Track" distinction by Pitchfork, with Quinn Moreland calling it "a towering statement from a group constantly leapfrogging over themselves."[23]
On the August 19, 2019, the band performed Two Hands in full during an intimate show at London's Bush Hall.
A second song from the album, "Forgotten Eyes", was released on October 2, 2019.[24]
^"Two Hands by Big Thief reviews". AnyDecentMusic?. Retrieved October 12, 2019.
^"Two Hands by Big Thief Reviews and Tracks". Metacritic. Retrieved October 12, 2019.
^ abDonelson, Marcy. "Two Hands – Big Thief". AllMusic. Retrieved October 12, 2019.
^Sackllah, David (October 9, 2019). "Big Thief Strike Again with the Captivating Two Hands". Consequence of Sound. Retrieved November 17, 2019.
^ abCliff, Aimee (October 11, 2019). "Big Thief: Two Hands review – powerful and gritty grunge folk". The Guardian. Retrieved October 12, 2019.
^O'Connor, Roisin (October 11, 2019). "Big Thief review, Two Hands: It's astonishing just how alive this album feels". The Independent. Retrieved October 12, 2019.
^Segal, Victoria (November 2019). "Big Thief: Two Hands". Mojo (312): 90.
^Mongredien, Phil (October 13, 2019). "Big Thief: Two Hands review – a more earthbound follow-up to UFOF". The Observer. Retrieved October 15, 2019.
^Sodomsky, Sam (October 11, 2019). "Big Thief: Two Hands". Pitchfork. Retrieved October 11, 2019.
^"Big Thief Announce Another New Album, Release Lead Single "Not"". pastemagazine.com.
^Cutforth, Katie (December 26, 2020). "How Buck Meek lets his music fly". The Line of Best Fit. Retrieved November 30, 2021.
^"Bear Creek Studio alumnus stars in centerpiece film at SIFF". The Woodinville Weekly.
^ ab"The official website for independent record label 4AD". 4AD.
^ abcMaicki, Salvatore (February 6, 2020). "Big Thief's unfinished history". The Fader. Retrieved November 30, 2021.
^"Big Thief 'Two Hands' Review: The Album Crackles with the Intensity of a Live Performance". Slant Magazine. October 11, 2019. Retrieved December 19, 2021.
^Aubrey, Elizabeth (August 13, 2019). "Big Thief announce new album, tour and share emotive new single, 'Not'". NME.
^"Listen to "Not" by Big Thief" – via pitchfork.com.
^"Big Thief Share New Song "Forgotten Eyes": Listen". Pitchfork. Retrieved October 3, 2019.
^"Adrienne Lenker". www.grammy.com. Retrieved March 12, 2021.
^"The 10 Best Albums of 2019". Spin. December 17, 2019. Retrieved December 17, 2019.
^García, Fernando (May 12, 2021). "La música de Mare of Easttown: entre el pop festivo de los 80 y la melancolía de los 90". La Nación (in Spanish). Retrieved May 24, 2021.
^"ARIA Chart Watch #547". auspOp. October 19, 2019. Retrieved October 19, 2019.
^"Ultratop.be – Big Thief – Two Hands" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved October 18, 2019.
^"Ultratop.be – Big Thief – Two Hands" (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved October 18, 2019.
^"Dutchcharts.nl – Big Thief – Two Hands" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved October 18, 2019.
^"Irish Albums Chart: 18 October 2019". Irish Recorded Music Association. Retrieved October 19, 2019.
^"Debuts on this week's #Billboard200 (3/3)". Billboard on Twitter. Retrieved October 22, 2019.
March 07, 2023
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Two Hands is the fourth studio album by the American band Big Thief released through 4AD on October 11 2019 The album comes five months after the release of the band s third studio album U F O F and is described as its earth twin 13 It was preceded by the singles Not and Forgotten Eyes Two HandsStudio album by Big ThiefReleasedOctober 11 2019 2019 10 11 RecordedJuly 2018 February 2019 April 2019StudioSonic Ranch Tornillo Texas Demo Cabin Topanga California Sound City Los Angeles CaliforniaLength39 36Label4ADProducerAndrew SarloBig Thief chronologyU F O F 2019 Two Hands 2019 Dragon New Warm Mountain I Believe in You 2022 Singles from Two Hands Not Released August 13 2019 Forgotten Eyes Released October 2 2019Professional ratingsAggregate scoresSourceRatingAnyDecentMusic 8 3 10 1 Metacritic85 100 2 Review scoresSourceRatingAllMusic 3 Consequence of SoundA 4 The Guardian 5 The Independent 6 Mojo 7 The Observer 8 Pitchfork9 0 10 9 Q 10 Rolling Stone 11 Uncut8 10 12 Contents 1 Background and recording 2 Music and lyrics 2 1 Composition 3 Release and promotion 4 Track listing 5 Personnel 6 In popular culture 7 Charts 8 ReferencesBackground and recording EditRecording for Two Hands began only days after the band completed recording their third studio album U F O F at Bear Creek Studio in Woodinville Washington 14 Two Hands was recorded primarily at Sonic Ranch in Tornillo Texas in July 2018 15 It was produced by Andrew Sarlo 16 who had since produced every album by Big Thief 17 Compared to the lush nature setting of Bear Creek 18 Sonic Ranch is located in the dry hot Chihuahuan Desert of Texas The album s press release indicated the studio was chosen purposely for its vast desert location with the songs reflecting its influence The songs were recorded live with almost no overdubs and all but two songs feature entirely live vocal takes 19 The album was mixed by Sarlo and drummer James Krivchenia at Bunker Studios in Brooklyn New York in October 2018 and at Sarlo s Cabin and Sound City in Los Angeles in April 2019 15 The band decided to scrap the Sonic Ranch recording of Not because they felt it needed openness 20 Not was re recorded at Sound City Studios in April 2019 15 It was captured live on the first take 20 Replaced co written by Adrianne Lenker and Buck Meek appears on the album in its original demo recording 20 The demo was recorded in a cabin in Topanga Canyon in February 2019 15 Music and lyrics EditIn the album s press release Adrianne Lenker said Two Hands has the songs that I m the most proud of I can imagine myself singing them when I m old Musically and lyrically you can t break it down much further than this It s already bare bones 19 Composition Edit Two Hands sees Big Thief take on powerful and gritty grunge folk 5 It also works in indie rock yielding a crisper and more jagged sound than that of U F O F 3 Slant saw the music as shoegazing that had 1960s 70s folk and rock filtered through it 21 Release and promotion EditIn early August some fans who had purchased U F O F on vinyl from the 4AD website received an unmarked 7 record in the mail It contained two songs that were later revealed to be the title track Two Hands and Love In Mine a track appearing on the Japanese version of the album The 7 had 10 11 19 etched into it alluding to the release date The album was announced on August 13 2019 alongside the release of its first single Not 22 Upon release the song was awarded the Best New Track distinction by Pitchfork with Quinn Moreland calling it a towering statement from a group constantly leapfrogging over themselves 23 On the August 19 2019 the band performed Two Hands in full during an intimate show at London s Bush Hall A second song from the album Forgotten Eyes was released on October 2 2019 24 Not was nominated for Best Rock Song and Best Rock Performance at the 63rd Annual Grammy Awards 25 In December 2019 Spin named Two Hands as the best album of 2019 in its annual critic s picks 26 Track listing EditAll tracks are written by Adrianne Lenker except where noted No TitleLength1 Rock and Sing 2 032 Forgotten Eyes 3 313 The Toy 4 164 Two Hands 3 525 Those Girls 3 226 Shoulders 3 137 Not 6 078 Wolf 4 429 Replaced Lenker Buck Meek 4 5410 Cut My Hair 3 36Total length 39 36Personnel EditCredits adapted from the album s liner notes 15 Big Thief Adrianne Lenker guitar all tracks vocals all tracks Buck Meek guitar all tracks vocals 3 5 9 Max Oleartchik bass all tracks vocals 1 percussion 3 James Krivchenia drums 1 7 9 10 vocals 1 7 percussion 4 mallets 7 cymbal 8 Technical personnel Andrew Sarlo production all tracks mixing 3 4 6 9 engineering 7 Dom Monks engineering 1 6 8 10 James Krivchenia mixing 1 6 8 10 engineering 9 Greg Calbi mastering Todd Carder tape liaison Keith Nelson tape liaison Sam Griffin Owens tape liaison Mario Ramirez assistance Sonic Ranch Joseph Lorge assistance Sound City Artwork Dustin Condren cover photography Sarah Schiesser design layoutIn popular culture EditThe album s title track was featured in the fourth episode of the HBO miniseries Mare of Easttown 2021 27 Charts EditChart 2019 PeakpositionAustralian Albums ARIA 28 99Belgian Albums Ultratop Flanders 29 20Belgian Albums Ultratop Wallonia 30 119Dutch Albums Album Top 100 31 59Irish Albums IRMA 32 78Scottish Albums OCC 33 8UK Albums OCC 34 34US Billboard 200 35 113References Edit Two Hands by Big Thief reviews AnyDecentMusic Retrieved October 12 2019 Two Hands by Big Thief Reviews and Tracks Metacritic Retrieved October 12 2019 a b Donelson Marcy Two Hands Big Thief AllMusic Retrieved October 12 2019 Sackllah David October 9 2019 Big Thief Strike Again with the Captivating Two Hands Consequence of Sound Retrieved November 17 2019 a b Cliff Aimee October 11 2019 Big Thief Two Hands review powerful and gritty grunge folk The Guardian Retrieved October 12 2019 O Connor Roisin October 11 2019 Big Thief review Two Hands It s astonishing just how alive this album feels The Independent Retrieved October 12 2019 Segal Victoria November 2019 Big Thief Two Hands Mojo 312 90 Mongredien Phil October 13 2019 Big Thief Two Hands review a more earthbound follow up to UFOF The Observer Retrieved October 15 2019 Sodomsky Sam October 11 2019 Big Thief Two Hands Pitchfork Retrieved October 11 2019 Aroesti Rachel November 2019 Big Thief Two Hands Q 404 108 Quick Hits Rolling Stone No 1333 November 2019 Watts Peter November 2019 Big Thief Two Hands Uncut 270 22 Aswad Jem August 13 2019 Big Thief to Release Two Hands Their Second Album of 2019 in October Roberts Christopher Big Thief Announce Second New Album of 2019 Share New Song Not undertheradarmag com a b c d e Two Hands liner notes Big Thief 4AD 2019 4AD 0180 a href Template Cite AV media notes html title Template Cite AV media notes cite AV media notes a CS1 maint others in cite AV media notes link Big Thief Announce Another New Album Release Lead Single Not pastemagazine com Cutforth Katie December 26 2020 How Buck Meek lets his music fly The Line of Best Fit Retrieved November 30 2021 Bear Creek Studio alumnus stars in centerpiece film at SIFF The Woodinville Weekly a b The official website for independent record label 4AD 4AD a b c Maicki Salvatore February 6 2020 Big Thief s unfinished history The Fader Retrieved November 30 2021 Big Thief Two Hands Review The Album Crackles with the Intensity of a Live Performance Slant Magazine October 11 2019 Retrieved December 19 2021 Aubrey Elizabeth August 13 2019 Big Thief announce new album tour and share emotive new single Not NME Listen to Not by Big Thief via pitchfork com Big Thief Share New Song Forgotten Eyes Listen Pitchfork Retrieved October 3 2019 Adrienne Lenker www grammy com Retrieved March 12 2021 The 10 Best Albums of 2019 Spin December 17 2019 Retrieved December 17 2019 Garcia Fernando May 12 2021 La musica de Mare of Easttown entre el pop festivo de los 80 y la melancolia de los 90 La Nacion in Spanish Retrieved May 24 2021 ARIA Chart Watch 547 auspOp October 19 2019 Retrieved October 19 2019 Ultratop be Big Thief Two Hands in Dutch Hung Medien Retrieved October 18 2019 Ultratop be Big Thief Two Hands in French Hung Medien Retrieved October 18 2019 Dutchcharts nl Big Thief Two Hands in Dutch Hung Medien Retrieved October 18 2019 Irish Albums Chart 18 October 2019 Irish Recorded Music Association Retrieved October 19 2019 Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100 Official Charts Company Retrieved October 19 2019 Official Albums Chart Top 100 Official Charts Company Retrieved October 19 2019 Debuts on this week s Billboard200 3 3 Billboard on Twitter Retrieved October 22 2019 Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Two Hands Big Thief album amp oldid 1127628725, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
