Dragon New Warm Mountain I Believe In You - Big Thief (2022)

ideated from: some new releases I’ve been into lately

Modern indie rock can wear so many hats that it can kind of fill whatever space is available. I sometimes think of rock bands these days as being limited because they don’t create software-built sound environments to inhabit. But this is a great example of why a bunch of musicians in a room is still great.

Singer Adrianne Lenker has come up with a solid set of songs that run all over the place lyrically. Lots of wordplay and silliness, but also some heartfelt yearning and laid back observational humor. It’s a slice-of-life look at the weird alien landscape we all live in every day now.

Musically, the band ranges from full on indie rock to full on fiddle-driven Americana. There are stops along the way for mostly-solo acoustic and some pretty pop guitar music in between. The recording is warm and inviting. It was recorded in multiple locations over several months, but the consistency to the sound mix and the fact that there’s studio chatter at the beginning and end of the record make it feel like you’re hearing a band live, just running through these 20 songs they’ve put together.

Tracks I Liked

Time Escaping - a real banger with a great beat and odd instrumentation

Certainty - Grateful Dead-soaked country rock

Little Things - more straight up rock than a lot of the other tracks.

Simulation Swarm - a tightly wound rocker with a great guitar outro