Albums to watch

Two Hands

Big Thief

Two Hands

Fourth album and second of 2019 from the indie rock quartet fronted by singer-songwriter Adrianne Lenker and recorded live

ADM rating[?]

8.3

Label
4AD
UK Release date
11/10/2019
US Release date
11/10/2019
  1. 10.0 |   The Skinny

    Arguing which record between this and U.F.O.F. is better is pointless. They are two sides of the same sovereign coin, all it proves is 2019 is Big Thief's year
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  2. 10.0 |   The Independent

    It’s astonishing just how alive this album feels
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  3. 9.1 |   Consequence Of Sound

    A record that taps into an elemental fury, connecting the deeply personal with the universal
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  4. 9.0 |   Loud And Quiet

    It devastates and uplifts in equal measure, a testament to how a band can explore new ideas and styles without losing their distinctive sound
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  5. 9.0 |   Exclaim

    Paired with the dream-like, celestial quality of U.F.O.F., Two Hands shows Big Thief's loving view of the world can be immeasurably intimate and intangible, but also be bare-boned and brutally honest
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  6. 9.0 |   No Ripcord

    Big Thief proves that it can feed your head, your heart, and your hands in equal measure. Like the musical giants of old there is nothing they can’t do, ably going from strength to strength
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  7. 9.0 |   The Line Of Best Fit

    Two Hands is a great record, and a stunning artistic accomplishment – a reminder if you needed one that this is Lenker’s THIRD album in twelve months – but it’s also devilishly clever in that it isn’t a perfect album. If it was, they’d have nowhere to go on the next one
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  8. 9.0 |   Pitchfork

    The second landmark album this year from Big Thief is raw, tactile, and essential. The intimate songs zoom in on a band that feels, at this moment, totally invincible
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  9. 8.3 |   Paste Magazine

    Who else puts out two studio albums in one calendar year without an obligatory dip in quality?
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  10. 8.0 |   PopMatters

    The songs flow together and were purposely linked without pauses. This is an arid record purposely made in the desert with an audible dryness and shimmer to the sound
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  11. 8.0 |   Uncut

    Two Hands is more grounded [than U.F.O.F.]. ... The music is also rawer and more immediate. Print edition only

  12. 8.0 |   Mojo

    Sparer but equally powerful record. Print edition only

  13. 8.0 |   The Observer

    Once again, its hushed songs, lit up by Adrianne Lenker’s spellbinding voice, only gradually reveal the subtle hooks at their kernels
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  14. 8.0 |   Slant Magazine

    The album is a portrait of the band’s skills as musicians, a document of a group hitting its stride
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  15. 8.0 |   All Music

    While it's hard to talk about Two Hands in 2019 without the context of the stunning U.F.O.F., the album's quality stands on its own, offering its own grade of intimacy, sound, and feel for alternate moods
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  16. 8.0 |   Northern Transmissions

    Big Thief have crafted a beautiful, intimate and striking album in Two Hands
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  17. 8.0 |   DIY

    A blissful listen from start to finish
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  18. 8.0 |   The 405

    Big Thief showcase a more grounded and straightforward approach to songwriting, with Adrianne Lenker's poetry and voice still as potent as ever
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  19. 8.0 |   The Guardian

    This ‘earth twin’ album to their ‘celestial twin’ UFOF, released in May, foregrounds Adrianne Lenker’s arresting voice and tender/brutal lyrics
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  20. 8.0 |   Clash

    Be it the transcendent nature of so many of their songs or Lenker’s spellbinding authenticity, listening to Big Thief is an otherworldly experience, and ‘Two Hands’ is stunning
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  21. 7.0 |   musicOMH

    Two Hands is a good album, albeit one labouring under a slight sense of anticlimax given what has gone before. What could have been if they had stylistically mixed both albums together? We may not ever know, but it sets up massive anticipation of what could be coming next
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  22. 6.0 |   Q

    My be destined to languish in its predecessor's shadow. Print edition only


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