Dependable, relevant, and wonderful. Those three descriptors match up with Big Thief and their efforts over the course of this last year. Adrianne Lenker may branch off to provide a masterful solo record once more next year, but Vampire Empire is an exceptional offering from the group she fronts. Few can say they are enjoying the spoils of solo work and group efforts in conjunction, matching the quality of both with unique stylings to each. What a hero. Not an improvement on the heroic effort of Dragon New Warm Mountain I Believe In You but a sincere attempt at carving out the next steps. How difficult it must be to see where you go from the peak, but Big Thief manage it. Onward they go with Vampire Empire, another acoustic discovery with more than a few pangs of excitement to it.
Exceptional folk-rock as expected, Big Thief set a high bar on their previous album and are set to continue this quality. Thankfully so. There is much to love about Vampire Empire, from its percussion popping through every other beat before charming its way into a metallic clang, the lyrics from Lenker and their performance throughout a real, enjoyable one before the minute-mark explosion of sound. A quick cut and over before it truly starts, the spoken word-like experience screams for tenderness and intimacy but never feels convinced of receiving it. Lovers, understanding and all the truth of love flow through without a hell of a chance of capturing it. Vampire Empire begins to spiral into a wonderful cacophony of acoustic layering and repetition of “falling,” its bright achievement here being the back-and-forth from Lenker and guitarist Buck Meek.
Lenker speaks to herself throughout this one, the complexities of gender conformity burrowing deep into Vampire Empire, though the lyrics may not show it at first. This is not just a fledging love song but an important piece of self-love, rejection of the individual before blossoming into something else. Big Thief has always cemented themselves as folk-oriented but their messaging and proactive approach to playing, the crashes and at times out-of-place structure, are wonderful. Vampire Empire brings it to life in the truest and most sincere of forms. Those out-of-place notes are the best of the bunch, the crashes of percussion from Jason Burger bring it all together. Intimacy is no trouble for Vampire Empire, the experience of it is desired but the aftershock and effect of it tells a different story entirely.
Daggers and fires are the trade-off to initially warm and intrinsic intimacy, tender love removed for pills and kills which forms a neat rhyming structure for the latter part of this Big Thief effort. Essential listening for fans of the folk-leaning group but also for those hoping to understand and experience how unsure and lapsed the future can be. The want for experience with the need of a loving constant to go alongside it, Lenker works through quite wonderful lyrics once more. It should be expected of them – they have offered this time and time again but this new form and experimentation from the instrumental sections is a delight. Neither heartbreaking nor heartwarming, like real love, Vampire Empire whirrs away in a constant state, easily returned to.
