U.F.O.F.

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U.F.O.F.
Studio album by
Big Thief
ReleasedMay 3, 2019 (2019-05-03)
RecordedJune 2018
StudioBear Creek, Woodinville, WA
Genre
Length43:15
Label4AD
ProducerAndrew Sarlo
Big Thief chronology
Capacity
(2017) 		U.F.O.F.
(2019) 		Two Hands
(2019)
Singles from U.F.O.F.
  1. "U.F.O.F."
    Released: February 26, 2019
  2. "Cattails"
    Released: April 3, 2019
  3. "Century"
    Released: April 30, 2019

U.F.O.F. is the third studio album by the American band Big Thief, released through 4AD on May 3, 2019.[6]

The album was recorded in June 2018[7] at Bear Creek Studio, a secluded studio with lush nature surroundings in Woodinville, Washington.[8] The songs "From" and "Terminal Paradise" previously appeared in a different form on Adrianne Lenker's 2018 solo album Abysskiss.[9] The title initials stand for "UFO friend", according to lyrics in the title track.[10] The album received acclaim from music critics and was nominated for Best Alternative Music Album at the 62nd Annual Grammy Awards.[11]

Five months after the album's release, Big Thief released their fourth studio album, Two Hands. Described as the "earth twin" to U.F.O.F., it was recorded at Sonic Ranch in the Chihuahuan Desert of Texas days after the band completed recording for U.F.O.F. in Washington.[12][13]

Recording[edit]

The album was recorded at Bear Creek Studio, in Woodinville, Washington.[8] Many of the songs started to take shape on tour, but the band continued to experiment, resulting in some of the songs being written only hours before recording them.[14] They recorded in a large room, with the band recording their tracks live.[14]

Music and Lyrics[edit]

The album was described by Pitchfork as having "lush" instrumentals to accompany Adrienne Lenker's "lonely and elliptical" lyrics.[15]

Critical reception[edit]

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
AnyDecentMusic?8.4/10[16]
Metacritic87/100[17]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[10]
The Guardian[18]
The Independent[19]
Mojo[20]
The Observer[21]
Pitchfork9.2/10[2]
Q[22]
Rolling Stone[3]
Uncut9/10[23]
Vice (Expert Witness)A−[24]

U.F.O.F. received critical acclaim upon release. On Metacritic, which uses a normalized rating from music critics, the album holds a score of 87 out of 100 based on 24 reviews, indicating "universal acclaim".[17]

The album was named "Best New Music" by Pitchfork, with a score of 9.2/10 and the website calling the album the band's "undoubtedly best" and "a mesmerizing flood of life filtered down into a concentrated drip."[2] In 2020, AllMusic named U.F.O.F. as one of the best albums of the 2010s.[25]

Track listing[edit]

All tracks are written by Adrianne Lenker

No.TitleLength
1."Contact"3:54
2."U.F.O.F."3:08
3."Cattails"4:05
4."From"3:58
5."Open Desert"3:47
6."Orange"3:30
7."Century"3:07
8."Strange"3:41
9."Betsy"3:28
10."Terminal Paradise"3:25
11."Jenni"4:11
12."Magic Dealer"3:01
Total length:43:15

Personnel[edit]

Credits adapted from the album's liner notes.[7]

Big Thief
  • Adrianne Lenker – acoustic guitar (1–7, 9, 10), electric guitar (1, 5, 8, 9, 11), vocals (all tracks), choir (2, 4, 5, 8), SK5 (2, 10), piano (3), chimes (5), breath (8), percussion (8), ambience (12)
  • Buck Meek – electric guitar (1–5, 7–10), clap (4), choir (4), vocals (7, 10), feedback (11), ambience (12)
  • James Krivchenia – drums (1–5, 7–11), percussion (2), choir (2, 4, 5), SK5 (2), magic box (4, 5, 8), chimes (5), breath (8), Moog (8), tambourine (9), vocals (11), drum fill (12), ambience (12)
  • Max Oleartchik – bass (1, 2, 4, 5, 7–12), bass drone (1–3, 8, 10), choir (2, 4), piano (3), bells (4), breath (8), shaker (8), ambience (12)
Additional musicians
  • Zoë Lenker – choir (4)
  • Andrew Sarlo – wind (9), ambience (12)
  • Dom Monks – ambience (12)
Technical
  • Dom Monks – engineering, mixing
  • Andrew Sarlo – production
  • Greg Calbi – mastering
  • Taylor Carroll – assistant engineering, "studio brain"
Artwork
  • Dustin Condren – cover photography
  • Sarah Schiesser – design, layout
  • Alison Fielding – production design

Charts[edit]

Chart (2019) Peak
position
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[26] 26
Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)[27] 80
Irish Albums (IRMA)[28] 81
Scottish Albums (OCC)[29] 21
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[30] 68
UK Albums (OCC)[31] 41
UK Independent Albums (OCC)[32] 9
US Billboard 200[33] 142
US Folk Albums (Billboard)[34] 3
US Top Alternative Albums (Billboard)[35] 13
US Top Rock Albums (Billboard)[36] 26
US Vinyl Albums (Billboard)[37] 2

References[edit]

  1. ^ "The 200 Best Albums of the 2010s". Pitchfork. October 8, 2019. Retrieved October 8, 2019.
  2. ^ a b c Larson, Jeremy D. (May 6, 2019). "Big Thief: U.F.O.F." Pitchfork. Retrieved May 7, 2019.
  3. ^ a b c Tijerina, Daniela (May 10, 2019). "Big Thief Ponder the Eternal on the Spellbinding 'UFOF'". Rolling Stone. Retrieved May 21, 2019.
  4. ^ a b Cummings, Bill (May 3, 2019). "U.F.O.F. by Big Thief Album Review". God is in the TV. Retrieved August 6, 2022.
  5. ^ Rega, Konstantin (May 3, 2019). "Big Thief: U.F.O.F. Album Review". Treblezine. Retrieved August 6, 2022.
  6. ^ Blais-Billie, Braudie (February 26, 2019). "Big Thief Announce New Album U.F.O.F., Share New Song: Listen". Pitchfork. Retrieved May 7, 2019.
  7. ^ a b U.F.O.F. (liner notes). Big Thief. 4AD. 2019. 4AD-0129.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  8. ^ a b "Bear Creek Studio alumnus stars in centerpiece film at SIFF". Archived from the original on December 2, 2019. Retrieved August 14, 2019.
  9. ^ "Album Of The Week: Big Thief U.F.O.F." Stereogum. April 30, 2019. Retrieved May 7, 2019.
  10. ^ a b Donelson, Marcy. "U.F.O.F. – Big Thief". AllMusic. Retrieved May 7, 2019.
  11. ^ "5 Takeaways from the 2020 Grammy Nominations". Pitchfork. November 20, 2019. Retrieved November 21, 2019.
  12. ^ Martoccio, Angie (August 13, 2019). "Big Thief Drop New Single 'Not,' Detail Second 2019 LP 'Two Hands'". Rolling Stone.
  13. ^ "Big Thief Announce New Album 'Two Hands': Hear "Not"". August 13, 2019.
  14. ^ a b "U.F.O.F." shopusa.4ad.com. Retrieved January 20, 2024.
  15. ^ Larson, Jeremy. "Big Thief: U.F.O.F." Pitchfork. Retrieved January 21, 2024.
  16. ^ "U.F.O.F. by Big Thief reviews". AnyDecentMusic?. Retrieved May 6, 2019.
  17. ^ a b "U.F.O.F. by Big Thief Reviews and Tracks". Metacritic. Retrieved October 12, 2019.
  18. ^ Aroesti, Rachel (May 3, 2019). "Big Thief: UFOF review – folk-tinged indie bordered by demons". The Guardian. Retrieved May 7, 2019.
  19. ^ O'Connor, Roisin; Bray, Elisa (May 2, 2019). "Album reviews: Big Thief – UFOF and Frank Carter and the Rattlesnakes – End of Suffering". The Independent. Retrieved May 7, 2019.
  20. ^ Segal, Victoria (June 2019). "Big Thief: U.F.O.F.". Mojo (307): 86.
  21. ^ Mongredien, Phil (May 5, 2019). "Big Thief: UFOF review – full of subtle charm". The Observer. Retrieved May 12, 2019.
  22. ^ Barton, Laura (July 2019). "Big Thief: U.F.O.F.". Q (399): 113.
  23. ^ Cochrane, Greg (June 2019). "Big Thief: U.F.O.F.". Uncut (265): 24.
  24. ^ Christgau, Robert (June 8, 2019). "Robert Christgau on Vampire Weekend's Puzzlers and Big Thief's Minor Miracles". Vice. Retrieved June 8, 2019.
  25. ^ "The AllMusic Decade in Review". AllMusic. Retrieved July 27, 2021.
  26. ^ "Ultratop.be – Big Thief – U.F.O.F." (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved May 10, 2019.
  27. ^ "Dutchcharts.nl – Big Thief – U.F.O.F." (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved May 10, 2019.
  28. ^ "Irish Albums Chart: 10 May 2019". Irish Recorded Music Association. Retrieved May 11, 2019.
  29. ^ "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved May 11, 2019.
  30. ^ "Swisscharts.com – Big Thief – U.F.O.F.". Hung Medien. Retrieved May 15, 2019.
  31. ^ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved May 11, 2019.
  32. ^ "Official Independent Albums Chart Top 50". Official Charts Company. Retrieved July 9, 2019.
  33. ^ "Big Thief Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved May 14, 2019.
  34. ^ "Big Thief Chart History (Top Americana/Folk Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved July 9, 2019.
  35. ^ "Big Thief Chart History (Top Alternative Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved July 9, 2019.
  36. ^ "Big Thief Chart History (Top Rock Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved July 9, 2019.
  37. ^ "Big Thief Chart History (Vinyl Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved July 9, 2019.
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